Improvements Appertaining to Clock and Similarly Operated Mechanism.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements Appertaining to Clock and Similarly Operated
Mechanism.
I, JAMES PRESTON of 36, Bradshawgate, Bolton in the County of Lancaster,
Watchmaker and Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows, that is to say:-
It relates to improvements in clocks and other mechanism wherein cords or the
like, under tension, are employed for transmitting motion to these said clocks or
mechanism through the medium of rotary drums or barrels around which said
cords are wound, and consists of constructing these said drums or barrels in such
a manner that the cords are thereby permitted to be readily attached thereto or
detached therefrom as occasion may require or necessitate.
To attain this object, instead of making the usual kind of hole or opening
through the periphery of the barrel, I make such opening to be somewhat elon-
gated, one end being considerably enlarged while the part leading from it is
narrowed down into the form of a slot, by which means I am enabled, firstly to
tie the holding or retaining knot or otherwise enlarge the outer end of the cord
to a considerable extent, and then to insert this enlarged end through the larger
part of the opening, afterwards to pull the thinner or ordinary thickness of cord
down into the slot through which the knot or enlarged part is prevented from
passing.
Again I may form the enlarged part of the opening through the side wall of
the barrel while the ordinary opening is still made in the periphery, by this means
I am enabled to pass the loose and free end of the cord through this smaller
opening and out at the larger one, after which I might form the knot or increased
part on the end of the cord, in which case without having to detach any parts
from the clock or like mechanism, I should be able to secure the cord or release
it whenever desired. A guide piece being placed in proximity with this form of
hole in order to keep the cord in its proper path when inserted at one part to
come out at the other.
Still further a radial slot may be made into the edge of the barrel's protruding
flange through which the cord might pass while the knot is kept on the outside
at which part the end support of the barrel is made thinner to receive said knot
and so retain it clear of adjoining parts, this said thinner part may be somewhat of
a V groove shape or otherwise as will readily be understood.
As a further modification I might cut and bend the radial flange on the edge
of the barrel so that a portion of it may be bent over the periphery of this barrel,
in which case the cord may be made to pass through a hole or slot formed in
this bent part. Or instead of this bent part of the flange I might use a spring
which may be secured to the flange or to the barrel and further arranged to hold

page_text: the cord, or this spring may be displaced by a looped piece which may be secured
to the flange in an appropriate position.
J. PRESTON.
Per Samuel Hey.
Agent.
RATIO
Improvements Appertaining to Clock and Similarly Operated
Mechanism.
I, JAMES PRESTON of 36 Bradshawgate, Bolton in the County of Lancaster,
Watchmaker and Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, that is to say:-
It relates to improvements in clocks and other mechanism wherein cords or the
like, under tension are employed for transmitting motion to these said clocks or
barrels around which said cords are wound and consists of constructing these said
drums or barrels in such a manner that the cords are thereby permitted to be
readily attached thereto or detached therefrom as occasion may require or
necessitate.
In the accompanying sheets of drawings which are illustrative of my inven-
tion:-
Fig. 1 is side elevation or view of a clock's barrel constructed in accordance
with my invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of same.
Figs. 3, 10 and 11 are views of portions of a barrel showing modifications here-
inafter described.
Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 1 but illustrates an alternative method of
construction.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a barrel illustrating another form of con-
struction hereinafter described.
Fig. 6 is end elevation of a barrel constructed as illustrated by Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a drawing in detail of a part detached from the barrel shown by
Figs. 5 and 6.
Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views to Figs. 1 and 4 but illustrate certain modifi-
cations hereinafter explained.
To attain the object of my invention instead of making the usual kind of hole
or opening through the periphery 6 of the barrel a, I make the opening c (see
Fig. 1) to be somewhat elongated, one end, as at c being considerably enlarged
while the part e leading from it is narrowed down into the form of a slot, by
which means I am enabled, firstly to tie the holding or retaining knot d' (or other-
wise to enlarge the outer end) of the cord d to a considerable extent and then to
insert this enlarged end d¹ through the larger part of the opening c afterwards to
pull the thinner or ordinary thickness of cord d down into the slot c¹ through
which the knot or enlarged part is prevented from passing. A spring e mounted
within the barrel a may be employed if desired for retaining the knot d when
once put into its position from readily being dislodged.
Again I may form the enlarged part k of the opening through the side wall f
of the barrel a (see Figs. 5, 6 and 7) while the ordinary opening at 3 is still made
in the periphery b, by these means I am enabled to pass the loose and free end of
the cord d through this opening and out at the larger one k after which I

page_text: might form the knot or increased part d' of the end of the cord in which case,
without having to detach any parts from the clock or like mechanism, I should
be able to secure the cord d'or release it whenever desired. A guide piece m is
secured in proximity with the holes c3 and k in order to keep the cord in its proper
path when inserted through c to come out at k.
Still further a radial slot or opening may be made in the flange of the end
part through which the cord à might pass while its knot d is kept on the
outside at which part f (see Fig. 10) the end part f is made thinner to receive
said knot and so retain it clear of the adjoining parts as well within the path
through which the barrel a travels in its rotary course. Or the radial slot may
be formed to receive the knot d while a groove may be made in the edge of the
end part f to receive the cord as shown by Fig. 11.
As a further modification I might cut and bend the radial flange ft (see Fig. 3)
so that a portion of it may be bent over the periphery 6 of said barrel a, in which
case the cord d may be made to pass through a hole or slot formed in said bent
part f. Or instead of this bent part f' of the flange, I might use a spring g
(see Fig. 4) which may be secured to the flange for to the barrel and shaped to
hold the cord d, or this spring g may be displaced by a looped piece s (see Figs. 8
and 9) which may be secured to the flange f and have the necessary opening
made therein for allowing the cord d to pass through it while it holds or prevents
the knot or enlarged part d' from becoming detached as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In mechanism of the class described, a barrel having its periphery formed so
that its operating cord or the like may be readily attached thereto or detached
therefrom substantially as herein specified.
2. In mechanism of the class described, a barrel having its periphery and end
wall pierced and formed for the attachment of the cord or the like thereto substan-
tially as herein specified.
3. In mechanism of the class described, a barrel having the flange on its outer
edge formed so that its operating cord or the like may be readily attached thereto
substantially as herein specified.
4. In mechanism of the class described, a barrel constructed to perform the
functions specified, and parts to be used in connection with said barrel the same
being formed and arranged to operate in combination substantially as set forth.
Dated thin 28th day of July 1897
JAMES PRESTON.
Per Samuel Hey.
Agent.