Improvements in or relating to Alarm Clocks.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Alarm Clocks.
I, ERNEST BENEST, of 52 King's Square, Goswell Road, London, Watchmaker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to alarm clocks and consists in providing the same with
means, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinafter described, whereby
the ringing of the alarm may be instantly stopped when desired. Further, in an
alarm clock having my invention applied thereto, the alarm will only sound
once in the twenty four hours, as will hereinafter appear, thus enabling the alarm
to be wound at any time, whereas at present it requires to be wound within twelve
hours of the time at which it is set to ring.
According to my invention 1 fix upon some suitable part of the clock frame a
wheel or disc mounted on a spindle or axis and having a pin or projection provided
thereon which engages with the alarm hammer catch or trigger. The. partial
rotation of this wheel or disc in one direction lifts the said' catch and causes it to
engage with the alarm hammer and thus to stop the ringing of the alarm, whilst
the partial rotation of the said wheel or disc in the reverse direction permits the
said catch or trigger to drop and releases the hammer. The rotation of the said
wheel or disc is effected by pressing an arm or lever extending therefrom with the
finger. The said wheel or disc is provided with two teeth or pins with which
engages a tooth or pin on the 12 hour wheel, or on the slotted trigger releasing
boss which revolves therewith, consequently when the wheel or disc has been
rotated by the finger so as to stop the alarm it will be automatically restored to its
normal position by the clock movement but will not be rotated sufficiently to cause
it to release the hammer catch until after the 12 hour wheel has made a complete
revolution. The alarm will thus only sound once in twenty four hours and may be
wound at any time, whereas at present the alarm has to be wound within twelve
hours of the time at which it is set to ring.
1, ERNEST BENEST, of 52, King's Square, Goswell Road, London, Watchmaker
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 relates to alarm clocks and consists in providing the same with.
means, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinafter described, whereby..

page_text: the ringing of the alarm may be instantly stopped when desired. Further, in an
aların clock having my invention applied thereto, the alarm will only sound once in
the twenty four hours, as will hereinafter appear, thus enabling the alarm to be
wound at any time, whereas at present it requires to be wound within twelve hours
of the time at which it is set to ring.
According to my invention I fix upon some suitable part of the clock frame a
wheel or disc mounted on a spindle or axis and having a pin or projection provided
thereon which engages with the alarm hammer catch or trigger. The partial
rotation of this wheel or disc in one direction lifts the said catch and causes it to
engage with the alarm hammer and thus to stop the ringing of the alarm, whilst
the partial rotation of the said wheel or disc in the reverse direction permits the
said catch or trigger to drop and release the hammer. The rotation of the said
wheel or disc may be effected by pressing an arm or lever extending therefrom
with the finger, or in any other convenient manner, as by a pin projecting from the
face of the dise through a slot in the clock. The said wheel or disc is also provided
with two pins or projections with which engages a pin or projection on the "alarm
plate," consequently after the wheel or disc has been rotated by the finger so as to
stop the alarm it will be automatically restored to its normal position by the clock
movement but will not be rotated sufficiently to cause it to release the hammer
catch until after the 12 hour wheel has made a complete revolution. The alarm
will thus only sound once in twenty four hours and may be wound at any time,
whereas at present the alarm has to be wound within twelve hours of the time at
which it is set to ring.
In the accompanying drawings
Figs. 1 and 2 represent in front elevation the application of my invention to the
alarm mechanism of an ordinary Dutch clock.
Fig. 3 is a detail.
Similar letters refer to like parts in all the figures.
a is the usual hammer catch, the end of which is adapted to engage with the
shank of the hammer b so as to arrest the movement of the latter. al is a spring
tending to depress the hammer catch a. c is the usual "alarm plate," mounted on
the sleeve d of the 12 hour wheel, the term "alarm plate" being understood to
include the notched boss e 1 thereof. e is a dise revolving about an axis secured
to the clock frame, and having an arm g extending therefrom. In order to prevent
the disc from revolving too freely upon the axis f, I provide a spring which
forces the boss of the disc against the pin i, sufficient friction being thus created to
prevent accidental rotation of the disc. is a pin on the disc adapted to engage
with the hammer catch a when the disc is rotated.
In Fig. 1 the disc e is represented in its normal position and the hammer catch
has just fallen into the notch of the alarm plate and has released the hammer b.
If the arm be now pulled down into the position shewn in full lines Fig. 2 the
pinj will lift the hammer catch a and cause it to engage with the hammer shank
and stop the alarm.
The automatic return of the disc e to its normal position is effected by the clock
movement as follows:-
k is a pin on the alarm plate boss adapted to engage successively with the two
pins on the, disc e. We will assume that the alarm has been set to ring
at 6 A.M. Before 6 P.M. the pink rotating with the alarm plate will engage with
the pin on the disc e and shift the latter and the hammer catch into the position
indicated by the dotted lines Fig. 2, the haminer being still held by the hammer
catch. It is thus clear that the alarm may be rewound immediately after acting,
if desired, in lieu of having to wait until after 12 hours have elapsed as usual
hitberto, consequently there will be less risk of forgetting to wind the alarm.
Before 6 A.M. arrives again, however, the pink will engage with the pin 1 and
return the disce to its normal position (Fig. 1) leaving the hammer catch free to
drop to its full extent and release the hammer when the notch of the alarm plate
arrives at the proper position.

page_text: 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 an alarm clock the employment of a disc or wheel adapted to be rotated
from the exterior of the clock case and provided with a pin or projection, which
latter, when the disc or wheel is rotated in one direction, engages with the hammer
catch and moves the same so as to arrest the movement of the hammer, substantially
as described.
2. In an alarm clock, the combination with the hammer catch and alarm plate,
of a rotatable wheel or disc, a pin carried thereby and adapted to engage with the
hammer catch, means for rotating said wheel or disc from the exterior of the clock
case, and means whereby the said wheel or disc is automatically returned to its
normal position by the revolution of the alarm plate within 12 hours of the time at
which the alarm is set to ring, substantially as described.
3. In an alarm clock, the combination with the hammer catch and alarm plate,
of the rotatable disc e provided with means whereby it may be rotated from the
exterior of the clock case, the pins or projections jll1 carried by said wheel or
disc e, and the pin or projection k on the alarm plate, the pin j being adapted to
engage with the hammer catch and the pins 1 being adapted for engagement
by the pin k on the alarm plate, when arranged and operating together substantially
in the manner and for the purpose described and illustrated.
Dated this 24th day of December 1896.
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON,
Chartered Patent Agents,
19, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.