IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SYNCHRONIZING OR SETTING CLOCKS OR OTHER TIMEKEEPERS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Lund, of the Firm of Lund and Blockley, of
42, Pall Mall, in the City of Westminster, Manufacturers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SYNCHRONIZING OR SETTING CLOCKS
OR OTHER TIMEKEEPERS."
Sealed the 16th November 1877, and dated the 16th July 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Lund at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th July 1877.
GEORGE LUND, of the Firm of Lund and Blockley, of 42, Pall Mall, in
the City of Westminster, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
SYNCHRONIZING OR SETTING CLOCKS OR OTHER TIMEKEEPERS."
My Invention has reference to that description of apparatus for synchronizing or
setting clocks or other timekeepers, in which the hands are set to mean or true time
every hour, or at other given intervals by means of a pair of pins or levers worked
electrically from a normal or primary clock or timekeeper.
Apparatus of this description, and arrangements for applying it to ordinary clocks
and to turret or other large clockwork, are described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to John Alexander Lund, and dated the 11th October 1876,
No. 3924.
The present Invention consists primarily of improved apparatus for setting or
synchronizing the hands of turret or other large clockwork.
This improved
apparatus is constructed as follows:-Upon a horizontal stud or pin I pivot a pair
of levers, one arm of each of which is made to act, as herein-after described, upon
the set hand (or it may be upon a false minute hand, or upon the counterpoise of
the minute hand) of the clock. This arm of the lever may conveniently be, and I
will herein-after speak of it as, the shorter arm. The other or longer arm of each
lever is of zig-zag form, or consists of two inclines, the inclines of the two levers
crossing each other. A weighted lever which is held up by a catch carries a pin,
the normal position of which is in the space between the two first zig-zags of the
pair of levers. The normal position of the shorter arms of the pair of levers is open
Pring Adi

page_text: '
or separated from each other. On the arbor of the set hand is a snail or cam for
lifting the weighted lever, as herein-after described.
When, say, at the expiration of every hour, the electric current arrives from the
normal clock the catch is withdrawn from the weighted lever; the latter thus falls,
and in its downward movement the pin which it carries by pressing on the first
inclines of the pair of levers forces their longer arms open and thereby closes their
shorter arms, and these arms are thus caused to act upon opposite sides of a pro-
jection on the set hand and move this hand, and consequently the minute hand
exactly to zero; should it be either fast or slow, the shorter arms again open and free
the set hand, when the pin on the weighted lever during the continued descent of
the same by passing down the second inclines of the pair of levers allows their long
arms again to close.
A slight dwell or rest may be given to the levers in the closed position of their
shorter arms by having a short vertical portion between the zig-zags. The weighted
lever is gradually raised again to its normal position by means of the snail, which
acts upon it or upon its pin during the next revolution of the set hand arbor. In its
upward movement it has again to open and close the pair of levers to allow the pin to
pass, but by arranging the snail so that it does not begin to act until, say, 5 minutes
after the hour, the set hand has got clear of the upper arms before they begin to
close. The snail should lift the lever high enough to be caught by the catch, say,
5 minutes before the completion of the hour.
It is evident that the pin on the weighted lever may be made to act in the
reverse manner to that before described, that is to say, to open the pair of levers by
an upward movement instead of by a downward one.
In applying the arrangement, herein-before described, to ordinary small clocks
where the weighted lever and the snail are unnecessary, the pin which acts upon
the pair of levers being worked directly by the electric current, the second inclines
of the pair of levers are dispensed with, and the first inclines made long enough to
prevent the pin passing their ends. The action in this case is that the pin, which
may itself be the armature of the electro-magnet, is moved-in one direction by the
electric current and again returned by a spring or counterweight.
The position of the parts may be vertical or horizontal, as thought best, and the
short arms of the levers or pins thereon may pass through slots in the dial so as to
act upon the minute hand, or they may act upon a false hand behind the dial.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Lund in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th January
1878.
GEORGE LUND, of the Firm of Lund and Blockley, of 42, Pall Mall, in
the City of Westminster, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
SYNCHRONIZING OR SETTING CLOCKS OR OTHER TIMEKEEPERS."
"
My Invention has reference to that description of apparatus for synchronizing or
setting clocks or other timekeepers in which the hands are set to mean or true
time every hour, or at other given intervals, by means of a pair of pins or levers
worked electrically from a normal or primary clock or timekeeper.
Apparatus of this description, and arrangements for applying it to ordinary
clocks, and to turret or other large clockwork, are described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to John Alexander Lund, and dated the 11th October 1876,
No. 3924.
The present Invention consists primarily of improved apparatus for setting or
synchronizing the hands of turret or other large clockwork. This improved
apparatus is represented in elevation in Figure 1, and in side view in Figure 2, and
is constructed as follows:-Upon a horizontal stud or pin A, I pivot a pair of
levers B, B, one arm b of each of which is made to act, as herein-after described,
upon the set hand C (or it may be upon a false minute hand, or upon the counter-
poise of the minute hand) of the clock. This arm b of the lever may conveniently
be, and is represented as, the shorter arm. The other or longer arm b² of each
lever B is of zig-zag form, or consists of two inclines, the inclines of the two levers
crossing each other, as shewn. A weighted lever D, which is held up by a catch E,
carries a pin F, the normal position of which is in the space between the two first
zig-zags of the pair of levers, as seen in full lines in Figure 1. The normal position
of the shorter arms b, b, of the pair of levers is open or separated from each other.
G is the arbor of the set hand; it carries a snail or cam H for lifting the weighted
lever D, as herein-after described.
When, say, at the expiration of every hour, the electric current arrives from the
normal clock, the catch E is withdrawn by the action of the current, as will be well
understood, from the weighted lever D; the latter thus falls into the position shewn
in dotted lines in Figure 1, and in its downward movement the pin F which it
carries by pressing on the first inclines of the pair of levers B, B, forces their longer
arms 61, 6¹, open, and thereby closes their shorter arms b, b; and these arms are thus
caused to act upon opposite sides of a projection I on the set hand C and move this
hand, and consequently the minute hand exactly to zero; should it be either fast or
slow, the shorter arms b, b, again open and free the set hand C when the pin F on
the weighted lever during the continued descent of the same, by passing down the
second inclines of the pair of levers, allows their long arms b¹, 61, again to close.
A slight dwell or rest may be given to the levers B, B, in the closed position of
their shorter arms by having a short vertical portion between the first and second
inclines or zig-zags. The weighted lever D is gradually raised again to its normal
position by means of the snail H, which acts upon it or upon its pin during the next
revolution of the set hand arbor G. In its upward movement the lever D has
again to open and close the pair of levers B, B, to allow the pin F to pass, but by
arranging the snail H so that it does not begin to act until, say, 5 minutes after the
hour, the set hand C has got clear of the upper arms b, b, before they begin to close.
The snail should lift the lever D high enough to be caught by the catch E, say,
5 minutes before the completion of the hour. K, K, are stops to limit the play of
the levers.
It is evident that the pin on the weighted lever D may be made to act in the
reverse manner to that before described, that is to say, to open the pair of levers by
an upward movement instead of by a downward one.

page_text: In applying the arrangement herein-before described to ordinary or small clocks,
where the weighted lever D and the snail H are unnecessary, the pin (F) which acts
upon the pair of levers B, B, being worked directly by the electric current, the
second inclines of the pair of levers are dispensed with, and the first inclines made
long enough to prevent the pin (F) passing their ends. The action in this case is
that the pin (F), which may itself be the armature of the electro-magnet, is moved
in one direction by the electric current, as will be well understood, and again returned
by a spring or counterweight.
The position of the parts may be vertical or horizontal, as thought best, and the
short arms b, b, of the levers or pins thereon may pass through slots in the dial so
as to act upon the minute hand, or they may act upon a false hand behind the
dial.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim constructing apparatus for
synchronizing or setting clocks or other timekeepers, substantially as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Lund, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of January, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight.