IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC AND OTHER TIMEPIECES AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Port, of Small Heath, near Birmingham, and
Theophilus Varley, of Walthamstow, in the County of Essex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC AND OTHER TIMEPIECES AND IN APPARATUS
CONNECTED THEREWITH,”
Sealed the 26th September 1879, and dated the 9th July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Port and Theophilus
Varley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th July 1879.
HENRY PORT, of Small Heath, near Birmingham, and THEOPHILUS VARLEY, of
Walthamstow, in the County of Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC AND OTHER
TIME PIECES AND IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH.'
"
The object of our Invention is to obtain more correct time indications in a simpler
form and at less cost than that obtained by "regulators" or time pieces.
By this Invention we are able to command that all impulses given to the
pendulum shall be as absolutely uniform as is possible for any mechanism to give
irrespective of the imperfections of the clockwork or train of wheels. Regulators
fitted with our pendulum require only (comparatively speaking) crude of train of
wheels instead of accurate work which is necessary to give good time indications of
the usual regulator.
Although our Invention is applicable to mechanical power clocks with advantage,
it is nevertheless equally if not better suited for "electric clocks or electric time-
pieces. With the aid of electricity the mechanism actuating the pendulum is
reduced to a minimum, also any number of time indicators can be actuated and
controlled by one pendulum.
We have several ways of obtaining the object of our Invention, namely, of giving
constantly recurring uniform impulses to a pendulum, which, when a compensated
pendulum must give the most accurate time measurement possible. All the
various modes have for their object a weight or force falling or moving through a
given measured space and differing only in detail, also as to whether the pendulum
is to be applied to mechanical power or electrical time pieces. It is as follows:-
Timepieces consist of two principal divisions. The first is the pendulum for
measuring the time and controlling the mechanism or second part.

page_text: The second part is the mechanism for moving the hands, and in mechanical
power clocks also for keeping the pendulum in motion, but in electrical clocks
electro magnetism-takes-the-place_of_the_spring or weight of mechanical power
clocks.
For ease of description we will describe the pendulum as applied to electrical
time-pieces, commencing-with-the pendulum and those parts which form or take
the place of the ordinary clock escapement.
Our_pendulum works consist of four essential parts:-1st., the pendulum; 2nd.,
electro magnet and armature; 3rd., movable rest; 4th., impulse.meter, which impulse
meter is either made in the form of a lever or a spring, or a pendulum actuated by
the armature of the electro magnet, is a movable rest which is held against a stop
by a spring when no electric current is passing through the helices of the electro
magnet, and is drawn against a second stop when an electric current passes the
helices of the electro magnet, the distance between the two stops is adjusted to the
amount required to give sufficient distance for the impulse meter to move through.
Supported by the moveable rest is the impulse meter which gives the impulse to
the pendulum. The pendulum is fitted with a light arm which strikes against the
impulse meter and acts as follows:-The pendulum is first set in motion, and when
it arrives almost at the end of its swing, the light arm attached to the pendulum
strikes against the impulse meter which it moves through a short distance, at the
same time completing the electric circuit which magnetises the electro magnet and
draws the armature and moveable rest against the second stop (a distance of
say in.). The pendulum during the first part of the return swing is followed
and impelled by the impulse meter, the pendulum continuing its swing, leave the
impulse meter, which latter is prevented from following farther by meeting the
movable rest in its second position; the electric current is now interrupted, and
electro magnet looses its magnetism, and the movable rest is drawn to its first
position by the spring, raising the impulse meter at the same time and placing it
in position for giving the next impulse on the return of the pendulam, thus the
pendulum is impelled by an unvariable impulse of (½ in.) g². at each swing where gr.
equals the weight or force actuating the impulse meter. We prefer giving but one
impulse to the pendulum to every double swing of the pendulum or less, say, one
in every ten or twenty swings of the pendulum.
For the mechanical power clocks the parts and action is the same as above des-
cribed with the exception that the moveable rest is actuated by a camb or crank
instead of an electro magnet, and catches are employed to hold the moveable rest
in its place instead of the spring and electro magnetism. The aforesaid camb or
crank taking the place of the escapement and escape wheel of ordinary clocks or
time pieces; thus by measuring the impulses given to the pendulum renders
correct time indications compatible with the crude mechanism of cheap clocks and
to which it can be adapted.
The second part. Time indicators usually called "companion clocks."
The advantage of using electricity as the motive force is, in the first place, the
clock or time piece requires no attention from one year's end to the other if the
time indications are sufficiently near mean time, or its rate is known, as the batteries
constructed of the form to be hereinafter described can be made of such dimension
as to require no attention for one or several years; in the second place, one pen-
dulum can be made to control as many time indicators as may be required.
We make our companion clocks in the following manner:-An electro magnet
which actuates an armature carrying a lever whenever an electric current passes
its helices, is made by means of a pall fixed to the lever to move a ratchet wheel
one tooth; fixed to the spindle of this ratchet wheel (seconds hand wheel) is a
enail or camb, which camb actuates a lever carrying a pall piece similar to the first
mentioned, and made to force a second ratchet wheel (minute hand wheel) one
tooth every revolution of the first mentioned or seconds hand wheel. To the
minutes hand wheel is attached a cam of a form resembling a twelve tooth ratchet

page_text: wheel, and another lever similar to the one actuated by the seconds hand wheel
comb, and which lever moves the hour band wheel one tooth to every one twelfth
rotation of the minutes hand wheel. When only minute time indications are
required the the seconds' hand wheel is omitted, the armature lever is made to
act direct upon the minute band wheel.
The details of our Invention will be much more minutely described in the com-
plete Specification by aid of diagrams, without which it is almost impossible to
clearly define any of the details of the various parts and commutations of the
electric current.
Battery. The battery which we prefer using for the electric clock from its
constancy and long duration of its action we make as follows:-
At the bottom of a jar we place a copper plate made in the form of a flat drum
with a hole on the top, with a wire leading from it to above the top of the jar for
making connection; this drum we fill with sulphate of copper crystals; a copper
plate is laid over the hole in the drum; the jar is part filled to about an inch above
the copper plate with sand, clay, plaster of Paris, or other suitable material; the jar
is now filled with a solution of sulphate of zinc or other suitable salt, the zine
plate is then immersed in the solution at the top of the jar, being supported by a
cap resting on the edge of the jar, and the battery is ready for joining up and
will last good for long period according to their size.

page_text: SPECIFICATION_in_pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Port and Theophilus Varley in the Great Seal-Patent-Office
on-the-Sth-January-1880."
HENRY PORT, of Small Heath, near Birmingham, and THEOPHILUS VARLEY, of
Walthamstow, in the County of Essex. “IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC AND OTHER
TIMEPIECES.AND_IN_APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH.'
"
The object of our Invention is to obtain a more correct time indication in a
simpler form and at less cost than that obtained by "regulators" or "timepieces."
By this Invention we are able to command that all impulses given to the
pendulum shall be as absolutely uniform as is possible for any mechanism to give,
irrespective of the imperfections of the clockwork or train of wheels. Regulators
fitted with our pendulum require only (comparatively speaking) crude train of
wheels instead of accurate work, which is necessary to give good time indications of
the usual regulator.
Although our Invention is applicable to mechanical power clocks, with advantage,
it is nevertheless better suited for "electric clocks" or "electric timepieces." With
the aid of electricity the mechanism actuating the pendulum is reduced to a mini-
mum; also any number of time indicators can be actuated and controlled by one
pendulum.
All the
We have several ways of obtaining the object of our Invention, namely, of giving
constantly recurring uniform impulses to a pendulum which, when a compensated
pendulum, must give the most accurate time measurements possible.
various modes have for their object a weight or force falling or moving through a
given measured space, and differing only in detail also as to whether the pendulum
is to be applied to mechanical power or electrical timepieces. It is as follows:-
All timepieces consist of two principal divisions, first, is the pendulum for
measuring the time and controlling the mechanism or second part; the second
part is the mechanism for moving the hands and, in mechanical power clocks, also
for keeping the pendulum in motion, but in electrical clocks electro magnetism
takes the place of the spring or weight of mechanical power clocks.
For ease of description we will describe the pendulum as applied to electrical
time pieces, commencing with the pendulum and those parts which form or take
the place of the ordinary clock escapement.
The pendulum works consist of four essential parts, 1st, the pendulum, P.; 2nd,
electro magnet, E. M. and armature a; 3rd, moveable rest, M. R.; 4th, impulse
meter, I. M., which impulse meter is either made in the form of a lever, or a spring,
or a pendulum. Actuated by the armature a of the electro magnet E. M. is a
moveable rest which is held against a stop S. by a spring S. G. when no electric
"Current-is-passing-through the helices of the electro magnet E. M., and is drawn
against a second stop S¹. when an electric current passes the helices of the electro
magnet E. M. The distance between the two stops S. and S. is adjusted to the.
amount required to give sufficient distance for the impulse meter, I. M. to move
through. Supported by the moveable rest is the impulse meter I. M. which gives
the impulse to the pendulum P. The pendulum P. is fitted with a light arm L. A.
which strikes against the impulse meter I. M. and acts as follows:-The pen-
dulum P. is first set in motion and when it arrives almost at the end of its swing
the light arm L. A. attached to the pendulum P. strikes against the impulse meter
I. M., which it moves through a short distance, at the same time completing the
electric current, which magnetizes the electro magnet E. M. and draws the armatures
and moveable rest against the second stop ST. (a distance of, say, inch). The
pendulum P., during the first part of the return swing, is followed and impelled by
the impulse meter I. M. The pendulum P. continuing its swing leaves the impulse
meter I. M., which latter is prevented from following farther by meeting the move-
able rest M. R. in its second position. The electric current is now interrupted and

page_text: electro magnet E. M. loses its magnetism, and the moveable rest M. R. is drawn to
its first position by the spring S. G., raising the impulse meter I. M. at the same
time and placing it in position for giving the next impulse on the return of the
pendulum P., thus the pendulum P. is impelled by an invariable impulse of (in.)
g*. at each swing where g'. equals the weight or force actuating the impulse meter
I. M. We profer giving but one impulse to the pendulum to every double swing
of the pendulum or less, say, one in every ten or twenty swings of the pendulum.
For the mechanical power clock the parts and action are the same as above
described with the exception that the moveable rest is (see Fig. 4) actuated by a
cam or crank S. M., Fig. 4, instead of an electro magnet and catche. Ch., Fig. 4,
are employed to hold the moveable rest M. R. in its place instead of the spring and
electro magnetism, the aforesaid cam or crank taking the place of the escapement
and escape wheel of ordinary clocks or timepieces. Thus by measuring the im-
pulses given to the pendulum renders correct time indications compatible with the
crude mechanism of cheap clocks, and to which it can be adapted.
The Second Part-Time indicators, usually called companion clocks.
The advantage of using electricity as the motive force is, in the first place, the
clock or timepiece requires no attention from one year's end to the other if the time
indicators are sufficiently near mean time, or its rate is known, as the batteries
constructed of the form to be hereinafter described (see Fig. 6) can be made of such
dimension as to require no attention for one or several years. In the second place,
one pendulum can be made to control as many time indicators as may be required
(see Fig. 2).
We make our companion clocks (see Fig. 5) in the following manner-An
electro magnet which actuates an armature carrying a lever whenever an electric
current passes its helices are made by means of a pall p, p, fixed to the lever to
move a ratchet wheel öne tooth, fixed to the spindle of the ratchet wheel (seconds'
hand wheel) is a snail or cam S. L. which cam actuates a lever carrying a pall piece
p, n', similar to the first mentioned, and made to force a second ratchet wheel
(minute hand wheel) one tooth every revolution of the first mentioned or seconds'
hand wheel. To the minutes' hand wheel is attached a cam of a form resembling a
tooth ratchet wheel, and another lever similar to the one actuated by the seconds'
hand wheel. cam, and which lever moves the hour hand wheel H. W., one tooth to
every one rotation of the minute hand wheel M. W. When only minute time indi-
cations are required the seconds' hand wheel is omitted; the armature lever a is
made to act direct upon the minute hand wheel.
Battery. The battery (see Fig. 6) which we prefer using for the electric clock
from its constancy and long duration of its action we make as follows:-At the
bottom of a jar we place a copper platė D made in the form of a flat drum with a
hole H. on the top with a wire L. W. leading from it to above the top of the jar for
making connection; this drum we fill with sulphate of copper crystals, a copper
plate C. P. is laid over the hole H. in the drum, the jar J. is partly filled to about
an inch above the copper plate with sand, clay, plaster of Paris, or other suitable
material, the jar is now filled with a solution of sulphate of zinc or other suitable
salt; the zinc plate is then immersed in the solution at the top of the jar, being
supported by a cap resting on the edge of the jar, and the battery is ready for
joining up, and will last good for a long period, according to their size.
Having thus far recited the nature of our Invention we shall describe more
particularly the details for carrying the same into effect. The pendulum which we
have termed the first of the principal division of our Invention, as shown by
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, and are constructed as follows, that is to say :-
Fig. 1. When pendulum (P.) swings to the left as shewn, the light arm (L. A.)
strikes against impulse meter (I. M.) and lifts it from (0) to (-), at the same time
completing the circuit of battery (B.) causing electro magnet (E. M.) to become
magnetic, which attracts armature (A) from stop (S) to stop (S¹) drawing the
moveable rest (M. R.) with it. The impulse meter (I. M.) now follows the receding

page_text: pendulum (P.) giving it an impulse from (-) to (+). The impulse meter (I. M.)
is prevented from following the pendulum (P.) farther by resting itself against the
moveable rest (MR) it its second-position-The-electric-circuit is now interrupted
-by the breaking-of-contact between light arm (L. A) and impulse meter (I. M.).
The electro magnet (E. M.) loses its magnetism, and the armature (A.) is drawn by
spring (S. G.) to its first position against stop (S.), at the same time raising impulse
meter (I. M.) from (+) to (0) and placing it in position ready-to-give a second
impulsc.on the return of the pendulum (P.) repeating the actions described to every
double swing of the pendulum (P.). Whenever the electric current is completed in
electro magnet (E. M.), Fig. 1, the companion clocks seconds' hand wheel (S. W.)
is made to move one tooth; as the electric current is made to pass through electro
magnet E. M., Fig. 5, as shown by the dotted lines cunnecting Fig. 5, and Fig. 1,
indicating the direction the electric current travels.
Fig. 2. The pendulum (P.) when it swings to the left raises the impulse meter
(I. M.), but instead of making contact as in Fig. 1, interrupts one short circuit
(S. C.) of two passages by which the electric current can pass, (and the other passage
is through electro magnet (E. M.). The one electrical circuit being interrupted at
short circuit (S. C.), causes the whole of the electrical current to pass through
electro magnet (E. M.) magnetising it, attracting armature (A.) which withdraws
moveable rest (M. R.) from first to second position, leaving impulse meter (I. M.)
to follow and give impulse to receding pendulum (P.), as described in description
of Fig. 1. The pendulum (P.) having receded towards the right for a given dis-
tance leaves impulse meter (I. M.) in contact with moveable rest (M. R.). The
short circuit (S. C.) is now again established, and almost the entire electrical force
passes through the circuit, causing electro magnet (E. M.) to lose its magnetism,
and the armature (A.) is drawn back to its first position, and raising impulse
meter (I. M.) and placing it in position ready for giving another impulse to the
pendulum (P.) on its return to the left in a similar manner, as described under
Fig. 1. Armature (A.) whenever it is attracted is made to actuate contact wheel
(C. W.) by means of a pall or spring (P. p.) which is attached to the armature (A.).
Attached to contact wheel (C. W.) are one or more contact pieces, which as the
wheel revolves comes in contact with contact spring (C. S.), completing one or
more independent circuits between battery (B.) and the four clocks (C. K.), (C. K.),
(C. K.), (C. K.), as shown by the dotted lines connected therewith.
Fig. 3. When pendulum (P.) swings towards the left light arm (L. A.) comes in
contact with the impulse meter (I. M.) on the same side, completing a circuit from
battery (B.) through light arm (L. A.), impulse meter (I. M.), one helice of electro
magnet (E. M.). The pole armature (P. A.) being polarized by permanent
magnet (P. M.) is repelled by electro magnetic pole (E. M.-), and is attracted by
electro magnetic pole (E. M. +), throwing the moveable rests (M. R., M. R¹.) to the
_right, raising the right impulse meter (I. M.), while the left impulse meter (Í. M.) is
left against the pendulum (P.), giving the pendulum (P.) an impulse: The pendulum
(P.) on swinging to the right light arm (L. A.) comes in contact with the right hand
impulse meter (I. M.), when the current is made to flow through the second helice
of the electro magnet (E. M. + and E. M. -), causing the electro magnetic pole
(E. M. +) to repel, and (E. M. -) to attract polarized armature (P. A.), moving the
moveable rests (M. R., M. R.) from right to left, leaving the right impulse meter
(I. M.) to follow the pendulum (P.), and give it an impulse, and raising the left
impulse meter (I. M.), giving an impulse to the pendulum (P.) to each swing, instead
of one impulse to every double swing, as previously described.
Fig. 4 shews a mechanical method of raising the impulse meter (I. M.). Escape
wheel (E. W.) takes the place of the escape wheel in an ordinary clock, and carries
a small arm (S. M.) which rests against the catch (C. H.) of impulse meter (I. M.).
On the pendulum (P.) swinging to the left light arm (L. A.) strikes against impulse
meter (I. M.), and liberates the small arm (S. M.), which allows escape wheel to
rotate one revolution: The impulse meter (I. M.) following the pendulum gives an

page_text: impulse to it in a manner similar to our electrical arrangement. The escape wheel
(E. W.) being retarded in its motion by means of a fly or other arrangement not
shown in Drawing, and being adjusted according to length of pendulum, comes in
contact with impulse meter (I. M.) after the pendulum (P.) has left the impulse
meter (I. M.), and the small arm (S. M.) raises impulse meter (I. M.) to its former
position. The escape wheel (E. W.) is prevented from rotating inore than once by
small arm (S. M.) being arrested by catch (C. H.). On the return of the pendulum
(P.) the same action is repeated, giving one impulse to the pendulum (P.) once every
double swing.
Fig. 5 shews the arrangement of our time indicators, so called companion clocks,
electro magnet (E. M.) which, whenever a current is caused to pass through its
helices by the controlling pendulum, as shewn in connection with Figs. 1 and 5,
attracts armature (A.), moving the lever attached, and which communicates the
motion to seconds' wheel (S. W.) by means of spring or pall (P. p.). The motion
being limited by stops (S.) and (S¹) moves seconds' hand wheel (S. W.), one tooth
to each double motion of the armature. To insure that no more than one
tooth shall be passed at a time guard (G.) rests against the tooth, and renders it
impossible for the wheel to revolve until the armature has been drawn back to
stop (S.). (S. L.) is a cam attached to the seconds' wheel (S. W.), and to every one
revolution of seconds wheel (S. W.) actuates lever (L.), which lever moves by means
of pall (P. P¹) the minute wheel (M. W.) one tooth forward, when it is drawn back
by spring (S. G.). The minute wheel (M. W.) is also fitted with a cam (S. L.) which
moves hour wheel (H. W.) one tooth every revolution of minute wheel (M. W.) in a
like manner as the seconds' wheel (S. W.) actuates the minute wheel.
Fig. 6 represents the battery we use. (D.) drum, with hole (H.) in it, and filled
with sulphate of copper crystals; (C. P.), copper plate placed over hole (H.), resting
on supports (S. T.), (L. W), leading wire connecting copper drum (D.) with terminal
(T.); (Z.), zine block forming the positive electrode, and is connected with terminal
(T); (J.), jar; and (L. D), the lid or cover resting on the edge of jar (J). Batteries
of this form when charged with one pound of sulphate of copper in the drum (D.),
the jar (J.) containing about a quart of water, is quite sufficient to keep our con-
trolling pendulum in motion for more than 12 months without any attention.
Figs. 7 and 8 represent the impulse meter (I. M.), side and end view, shewing
parts of moveable rest and light arm (L. A.) and their contact pieces; Fig. 7 being
a front view, and 8 a side view.
Fig. 9 shews side view of impulse meter, front view of which is shewn in
Fig. 1.
Fig. 10 shews another form of double impulse meter to be used with pendulum
(P.), as described in Fig. 3, for keeping equal impulses on either side of the
pendulum (P.); (G, R,) is a small weight suspended between and attached to the
right and left impulse meter (I. M.) by a light cord for giving equal right and left
impulse to pendulum.
Having ascertained and described the nature of our Invention for "Improve-
ments in Electric and other Timepieces, and in Apparatus connected therewith,"
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be particularly
understood that,―
We claim generally our Invention as set forth and described, and shewn by
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, that is to say,-
Firstly. We clain as being most novel in our Invention the method of giving
impulses to pendulums by means of that part of our Invention set forth and
described by us as the "impulse meter," the “moveable rest," and by and through
the apparatus connected therewith, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9, whether
these pendulums be employed for controlling electric or mechanical clocks.
Secondly. We claim the method of constructing companion clocks, as described
and shewn in Fig. 5.
Thirdly. We claim the construction of galvania battery, as described and shewn
in Fig. 6.

page_text: And, lastly. We claim the controlling one or more companion clocks by means
of an electric current transmitted at regular intervals of time by means of or
through-the-use.of.our.said.Invention, in which the details may be modified without
departing from the essential principles or nature of our said Invention, as set forth-
and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said-Theophilus Varley, on behalf of myself and
the said Henry Port, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth
day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty.