IMPROVEMENTS IN ESCAPEMENT MOVEMENTS FOR CLOCKS AND ALARMS
Year: 1885

page_text: I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of
said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ESCAPEMENT MOVEMENTS FOR CLOCKS AND
ALARMS (Communicated by Japy Brothers and Company of Paris in the Republic
of France Manufacturers) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of chronometer anchor escapement
for clock movements generally but more especially for travelling clocks and alarms.
The anchor escapements hitherto used in clocks and alarms are of two kinds :-
No. 1. Those employed in the best class of goods and usually mounted on an
escapement spindle placed horizontally above the movement the parts of which
work in a horizontal plane.
In this arrangement the impulse is transmitted to the balance by the intervention
of a crown wheel.
No. 2. In low priced goods the condition required in the better class of goods
of being able to observe the working of the escapement from above the case
through a glass placed for that purpose has hitherto been dispensed with and the
axis of the circular balance is simply placed parallel to the working parts of the
movement so that the balance takes its place in the movement as a simple wheel.
It is this last arrangement which is usually met with in nearly all alarms with
chronometer escapements.
In this class of escapement No. 2 as also in the class No. 1 the fork beats in a
plane parallel to that of the circular balance but in the improved escapement
movement the fork rod beats in a plane perpendicular to that of the circular
balance in lieu of parallel therewith the upper part alone of the fork which is bent
at or about right angles to the rod beating in a plane parallel to the balance by
describing a small arc of a circle whilst engaged with a pin or finger fixed
perpendicularly in a disc on the spindle of the balance wheel.
By simply bending the upper end of the fork at right angles the circular balance
of the escapement can be disposed horizontally above the movement so that whilst

page_text: being an escapement of simple and easy construction it is also in the cases of clocks
and alarms entirely visible from the top of the case and presents the appearance
and quality of a high priced escapement.
It is this peculiar manner of imparting, without the intervention of a crown
wheel, the impulse to an anchor escapement the balance wheel of which is placed
horizontally above the movement, which constitutes the essential feature of the
said invention. The same applies not only to an ordinary anchor escapement but
also to pin escapements without altering the arrangement.
If desired, motion may be imparted to the balance of the said improved escape-
ment movement without bending the fork as hereinbefore described for which
purpose the vertical axle of the balance carries a plate or disc provided with a
finger which instead of being fixed perpendicularly to the plane of the disc is
disposed radially thereto and thus works in the same plane as the disc, and parallel
to the balance, the fork remaining straight and engaging with the said radial
finger at right angles thereto.
In either case the transmission of movement from the anchor escapement to the
axis of the circular balance is accomplished in two planes perpendicular the one to
the other without the intervention of a crown wheel.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Escapement Movements for Clocks
and Alarms.
I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention (communicated to me from abroad by Japy Brothers and
Company of Paris in the Republic of France Manufacturers) and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of chronometer anchor escape-
ment for clock movements generally but more especially for travelling clocks and
alarıns.
The anchor escapements hitherto used in clocks and alarms are of two kinds-
No. 1. Those employed in the best class of goods and usually mounted on an
escapement spindle placed horizontally above the movement the parts of which
work in a horizontal plane.
In this arrangement the impulse is transmitted to the balance by the inter-
vention of a crown wheel.
No. 2. In low priced goods the condition required in the better class of goods of
being able to observe the working of the escapement from above the case through
a glass placed for that purpose has hitherto been dispensed with and the axis of
the circular balance is simply placed parallel to the working parts of the movement
so that the circular balance takes its place in the movement as a simple wheel. It
is this last arrangement which is usually met with in nearly all alarms with
chronometer escapements.
In this class of escapement (No. 2) as also in the class No. 1 the fork beats in a
plane parallel to that of the circular balance. In the said improved escapement
movement by the aid of a fork bent to a right angle the circular balance of the
improved escapement can be disposed horizontally above the movement so that
whilst being an escapement of simple and easy construction as will be hereinafter
shewn, it is also in the cases of clocks and alarms entirely visible from the
top of the case and presents the appearance and quality of a high priced
escapement.
The rod of the fork beats in a plane perpendicular to that of the circular
balance in lieu of parallel therewith as in other escapements the upper part alone
of the fork, which is bent at or about right angles to the rod beating in a plane
parallel to the balance by describing a small arc of a circle.
It is this peculiar manner of imparting without the intervention of a crown
wheel the impulse to an anchor escapement the balance wheel of which is placed
horizontally above the movement which constitutes the essential feature of the said
invention.
The same is equally applicable not only to an ordinary anchor escapement but
also to pin escapements without altering the arrangement.

page_text: The improved escapement whilst thus presenting all the appearance of a high
priced escapement can be applied at a considerably reduced cost by reason of the
following advantages which it possesses :-
1. Facility for placing or fixing without any previous adjustinent.
2. Easy and perfect regulation by reason of the reduced friction upon a footstep
as compared with the two pivots in escapements of the kind No 2. and also by
reason of the small influence of inertia ("mal d'inertié ") to which the circular
balance is subjected when placed horizontally as in the said escapement.
3. The great simplicity of construction of the various parts composing the
escapement which can all be readily made by machinery.
4. The improved escapement further admits of the use of a uniform size of
movement whatever may be the size of the case, it is sufficient to lengthen the axis
of the balance in order to raise the latter to a position as near as possible to the
glass above whilst in ordinary travelling clocks it is necessary to employ as many
sizes of movements as there are sizes of cases.
In the drawings annexed Figure 1 is a face view, figure 2 a side view, figure 3
a plan and figure 4 a horizontal section on line A. B the upper part being removed
so as to show the upper end of the fork.
"
a is the escapement wheel. b the fork bent at b¹. c the pin with which the fork
engages receiving the impulse. da plate carrying the pin c. e the axle of the
balance. the balance. g the balance spring. h the cock. i the ".
"index j the
support carrying the cock fixed to the casing. k the support for the footstep fixed
to the counter pivot bridge.
The impulse may be imparted to the balance of said improved escapement
without the bend in the fork herein before described by the arrangement shewn in
figure 5 wherein the vertical axle e of the balance carries a plate or disc & provided
with a finger c¹ which instead of being fixed perpendicularly to the plane of the
disc is disposed radially thereto and thus works in the same plane as the disc and
parallel to the balance, the fork in lieu of being bent at right angles at 6¹ remaining
straight and engaging with the said radial finger c¹.
As in the first described arrangement the transmission of movement from the
anchor escapement to the axis of the circular balance is accomplished in two
planes perpendicular the one to the other without the intervention of a crown wheel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In escapement movements for clocks and alarms having a circular balance
wheel disposed horizontally above the works the transmission of movement from
the escapement to the axle of the balance wheel along two planes perpendicular
the one to the other without the intervention of a crown wheel substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
2. The combination of an escapement fork bent at right angles at its upper
end with a vertical pin mounted on a plate or disc on the axle of a horizontal
balance wheel when the bent end of the fork engages with the said vertical pin as
and for the purpose specified.
3. The combination of a straight fork with a horizontal radial finger carried by
the axle of the horizontal balance wheel when the upper end of the straight fork
engages with the said horizontal radial finger as and for the purpose specified.
1000