Improvements in Mechanism for Turning Christmas-trees and other Articles with or without Accompaniment of Music.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Mechanism for Turning Christmas-trees and
other Articles with or without Accompaniment of Music.
I, JOHANNES CARL ECKARDT, of Stuttgart, in the German Empire, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MECHANISM
FOR TURNING CHRISTMAS-TREES AND OTHER ARTICLES WITH OR WITHOUT ACCOM-
PANIMENT OF MUSIC, to be as follows:-
This invention relates to driving mechanism, with or without musical accom-
paniment, for turning Christmas-trees, toys and other articles, and has for its object
to protect such mechanism against external disturbances so as to render its
management more convenient and less delicate, and also to regulate the speed
from without especially for the purpose of changing the time of the music piece.
In describing the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing,
Figs I to VIII.
The mechanisms for the above purposes are arranged as follows:
1. For the purpose of setting the driving mechanism out of action, the crank
axle a carrying the handle-shaped pointer b above the casing is placed in the
position represented by Fig. VII, whereby the torsion spring c acts as a brake on
the fan axle d and gradually stops the mechanisın, while usually the mechanism is
stopped by rigid contact.
2. The music barrel e, adapted to be set in and out of gear independently of the
other parts, is set in motion by the shaft f, having movable bearings serving to set
the pair of wheels g and in and out of gear.
The wheel has generally a constant number of teeth, while the number of
teeth of the wheel his determined by the size and nature of the various music
barrels, which arrangement permits the subsequent exchange of the music pieces
without further alteration, and which can be carried out without requiring special
skill.
The mechanism is set in and out of gear, as shown by Figs II and VI, by means
of the crank axle a and the spring i, the latter serving to prevent stoppages or
damage when the points of teeth are placed in contact with each other.
Ad 1 and 2 it should be observed that the rotation of the crank axle is limited
to 180° by means of stops, and that the axle is prevented from receding from its
extreme positions (Figs II and VII) by the springs c and i, after which these
springs stop automatically in their main positions.

page_text: 3. The tree holder K, supported by a conical step-bearing of the axle 1, forms
with the latter a friction coupling.
The cone is of such a nature, that small resistances, such as frictions caused by
branches of the tree, can be overcome, while greater resistances, or the reversal of
the rotary motion, causes the sliding of the conical friction surfaces, thereby
protecting the mechanism from damage.
4. For regulating the speed without providing for this purpose a special aperture
in the casing, see Figs IV and V, the upper part of the crank axle a is bored out
and serves to receive a double or split spring m rendered vertically adjustable, and
the longer arm of which acts, according to its position, more or less as a brake on
the fan-axle d.
This spring also remains automatically at any height at which it may be placed.
Fig. 8 illustrates a modification of the above described arrangement, and which
has for its purpose to set in motion two different musical works e and e'; the
mechanisins are set in and out of action in a similar manner, that is to say the
crank axle a, in its extreme position, and by means of the spring i, sets in gear
either on the right or on the left one of the music works with the shaft f, which in
this case is prolonged, and the driving wheel of which is placed beyond the
adjustable bearing, as illustrated by Fig. 8. As in this case the brake spring c is
not applicable, the mechanism is set out of action merely by the regulating
spring m, suitably shaped for this purpose.
Improvements in Mechanism for Turning Christmas Trees and
other Articles with or without Accompaniment of Music.
I, JOHANNES CARL ECKARDT of Stuttgart, in the German Empire, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of said Invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the 3
following statement:―
-
This invention relates to driving mechanism, with or without musical accom-
paniment, for turning Christmas trees, toys, and other articles, and has for its
object to protect such mechanism against external disturbances so as to render its
management n:ore convenient and less delicate, and also to regulate the speed from 3
without, especially for the purpose of changing the time of the music piece.
In describing the invention, reference will be made to the drawings, filed with
the provisional specification Figs. I to VIII, of which Fig. I is an elevation,

page_text: Fig. II a plan and Fig. V a vertical section along line A A of a driving mechanism;
the remaining figures represent details and modifications.
The mechanisms for the above purposes are arranged as follows: The spring-
barrel s, after having been wound up, sets in motion the vertical shafts 7 and 12,
by means of the intermediate shaft and spur-wheels indicated by dotted lines.
The shaft serves to set in motion the shaft d of the fan D by means of inter-
mediate shaft 3, endless screw d, and tooth wheels indicated by dotted lines.
On the shaft is mounted a bevel wheel 8', gearing into the bevel wheel s²,
mounted on the horizontal shaft f, which is adapted to describe a short pivotal
motion around the centre of the shaft and serves as a driving shaft for the music
work.
For this purpose the shaft is mounted in a pair of movable bearings f¹ and f²,
and the latter has the shape of a bar, adapted to slide to and fro in the guides n, n.
The pin-barrel e of the music work carries on its axle a spur-wheel h, gearing into
the spur-wheel g on the driving axle, which spur-wheels may be set in and out of
gear by means of the slide u.
in
On the post o are coiled two springs c and i. Each is double armed and forms a
loop around the cranked portion of the shaft a, so that by turning the latter, the
springs may be made to act on the slide f2 as well as on the shaft d, the former
being thereby shifted forward or backward, and the latter retarded in its motion
by the pressure of the spring c, so that the fan-axle and the mechanism connected
with it, including the shaft l, may be gradually brought to a standstill.
The rotary motion of the crank-shaft a is limited to 180° by means of stops, and
the axle is retained in its extreme positions, Figs. II and VI, by the springs i
and c.
For setting the driving mechanism out of action, the crank axle a, carrying
above the casing the pointer b, is placed in the position represented by Fig. VII,
whereby the torsion-spring c is made to press against the fan-axle d, so as to act
as a brake, which gradually stops the mechanisin, whereas in ordinary mechanism
the stoppage is effected by rigid contact.
The spur-wheel g has generally a constant number of teeth, while the number of
teeth of the wheel his determined by the size and nature of the various music
barrels, which arrangement facilitates the exchange of music-pieces.
The mechanism is set in and out of gear, as shewn by Figs. II. and VI, by means
of the crank-axle a and the spring i; the spring i will yield and thus prevent
stoppages or injury to the mechanism, when the heads of the teeth of the spur
wheel g are placed in contact with the heads of the teeth of the wheel h.
The tree-holder K, supported by a conical step-bearing of the axle 1, forms with
the latter a friction-coupling.
The cone is of such a nature, that small resistances, such as friction caused by
branches of the tree, can be overcome, while greater resistances or the reversal of
the rotary motion, causes the sliding of the conical friction' surfaces, thereby
protecting the mechanism from damage.
For regulating the speed without providing for this purpose a special aperture
in the casing, see Figs. IV and V, the upper part of the crank axle a is bored out
and serves to receive a double or split spring m, rendered vertically adjustable,.
and the longer arm of which arts, according to its position more or less as a brake,
on the fan-axle d.
This spring remains automatically at any height in which it may be placed.
Fig. 8 illustrates a modification of the above described arrangements, and which
has for its purpose, to set in motion two different musical works c and e¹; the
mechanisms are set in and out of action in a similar manner as the mechanism
described above.
By turning crank shaft a, and thereby the spring i, the wheel g, may be set in
gear with the wheel or with the wheel 2, which drives the wheel h³ and thereby
the pin barrel e³. In the middle position of the wheel g, both pin barrels are out
of action.

page_text: As the brake spring c is not applicable in this case, the regulating spring m
(Fig. V) serves also for setting the mechanism out of action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
In mechanisms for turning Christmas-trees, and other objects with or without
accompaniment of music.
1. The combination of a fan D and fan-axle d, geared together with the
part holding the tree or other object to be turned, with a crank shaft a, and a
brake-spring adapted to be pressed against the shaft d by turning the shaft a,
substantially as described.
2. The combination of a music work e, geared together with the driving
mechanism of the tree or other object, with a disengaging gear, adapted to set the
music work in and out of action, a crank shaft a and a spring i, connecting the
crank shaft with the disengaging gear and adapted to remain automatically in its
extreme position, substantially as described.
3. The combination of a fan axle, geared together with the part holding the tree
or other object to be turned, with a hollow crank shaft a and an adjustable brake
spring m adapted to be pressed more or less against the shaft d, and to retain itself
automatically at the desired height, substantially as described.
4. The combination of a driving mechanism, for trees and other objects with
two independent music works, disengaging gear adapted to connect the driving
mechanism, with either of the music works, a crank shaft a¹ and a spring i,
connecting the crank shaft with the disengaging gear in the manner substantially
as described.
5. The combination of the holder, with vertical shaft l, connected with the
driving mechanism, the said parts forming together a conical friction coupling,
substantially as and for the purposes described.