IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS
Year: 1885

page_text: I EDWARD GARDNER COLTON of the firm of Popplewell Colton & Co of Victoria
Chambers Southampton Buildings in the county of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS a communication to me from abroad by
Friederich Haenichen, Otto Hacnichen and Oscar Seebass all of Staats Zeitung
Building, Tryon Row in the City County and State of New York U.S.A.
Electricians 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 an improved electric clock which can be run for a
considerable time without recharging the battery, and in which the contact points
are exposed to little wear by oxidation, owing to the complete neutralization
of the residual magnetism in the cores of the actuating electro-magnet and the
prevention of induced currents; and the invention consists of an electric clock the
pendulum of which receives impulses from a crutch oscillated by a lever attached
to the armature of an electro magnet The lever actuates the hands of the clock
by intermediate gearing.
The residual magnetism in the cores is neutralized by sending a current in reverse
direction through the coils of the electro magnets, which is accomplished by
suitable circuit closing and reversing devices and a disconnector operated by the
armature of the electro magnet.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of an improved electric clock.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the operative parts of the same on a larger
scale, and
Fig. 3 a front view of the band-actuating mechanism. Similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
Referring to the drawings A represents an electro magnet supported below
the clock mechanism and provided with a nicely balanced armature A' which is

page_text: fulcrummed to vertical standards A" at both sides of the electro magnet A. The
armature A¹ is provided with a lever a having a contact-screw a¹ at one end and
an adjustable weight a³ at the other end. The weighted end of the armature
makes contact with an upright post A³ covered with leather felt or other soft
material, so that the contact of the armature lever a with the said post takes place
in a noiseless manner.
The
The armature A¹ is further provided with an upwardly-extending lever arm C,
having a plated at its upper end and which makes intermittent contact with the
shorter arm of an oscillating crutch D fulcrummed to a steel pivot d¹ while the
longer arm of the crutch D engages by a pin d³ the clock pendulum P. The longer
arm of the crutch D is provided with a fixed arm d³ extending at right angles
thereto, said arm being provided with an adjustable weight d, shewn in Fig. 2.
The crutch D after being lifted by the lever arm C is returned by the weight & so
that the crutch D engages the pendulum P by the projecting pin d³, and imparts
an impulse to the same so as to oscillate it towards the right. The armature A¹ is
attracted by the electro magnet A when the pendulum closes the contacts at one
side, by which the battery circuit is closed. The attraction of the armature A¹
moves the lever arm C sideways and imparts a lateral oscillation to the crutch D.
On the breaking of the circuit the armature A¹ is released and the arm C moved
back, whereby the crutch D is dropped, and another impulse given to the pendulum
The return-motion of the crutch D is arrested by a fixed stop-pin f*.
lever-arm C also imparts by a pivot-pawl e, intermittent rotary motion to a ratchet-
wheel e¹, which latter transmits by a worm gear e³ ³, vertical shaft ot, and bevel
gears e, e, rotary motion to a horizontal shaft e", which operates the minute and
hour hands of the clock by the usual gearings, which are not shewn in the
drawings The pendulum P is suspended from a horizontal supporting plate S, by
a flat spring 8. The supporting plate S is connected by a conducting wire 1, with
the coils of the electro-magnet A, and the spring 8 by a conducting wire 2, passing
through the pendulum, with knife edged platinum contacts, b b¹, which extend
laterally from the pendulum P. The platinum contacts b 6¹ form by the oscillations
of the pendulum alternately contact with knife-edged platinum contacts ƒ ƒ¹
which are applied to the upper ends of springs g g¹. The spring g is connected
with the positive pole of the battery, while the spring g² is connected with the
negative pole of the same. The knife edged contacts bf and 61 f1 are arranged at
right angles to each other, so that the contacts take place at extremely small points
The pendulum P
and consequently the current exerts but little wear on the same.
is further provided at points intermediately between the suspending spring 8 and
the contact-pieces b bi with fixed projections which extend in opposite
directions and are not electrically connected with the battery. Sideways of the
projections h¹ are arranged at each side of the pendulum, a pair of springs i i
and which are provided with knife-edged platinum contacts m m¹ and n n¹
which are also placed at right angles to each other so as to diminish the contact
surface as much as possible.
The platinum-contacts m m¹ touch each other when the pendulum arrives at
one end, and the contacts n n¹ when the same arrives at the other end of its
oscillation. The springs i and i, and land Z are insulated from each other, the
spring being connected by a conducting wire 3 to the binding post g³ of spring g¹,
and to the negative pole of the battery and the spring by wire 4 with one end
of the coils of the electro-magnet as shewn in Fig. 2.
The spring i is connected by wire 5 with the binding post g³ of spring g and the
positive pole of the battery, and the spring ¹ by wire 6 with the binding post o²
of a disconnector F. The screw a¹ at one end of the armature-lever a forms
contact with the end of the fulcrummed lever F¹ of the disconnector F, which lever
is connected at its opposite end by a spiral spring o with a bracket-plate o¹. The
disconnected lever F has a knife-edged platinum contact p which forms contact
with a knife-edged platinum contact p¹, the latter being connected by a conducting
wire 7 and binding post p³ to the same end of the coils of the electro-magnet to

page_text: which the conducting wire 4 is attached while the conducting wire 1 is connected
to the opposite end of the coils as shewn in Fig. 2.
When the pendulum arrives at the end of its oscillation from right to left, the
connection of the springs, and of the contacts bf is obtained, whereby the
5 circuit is closed and the armature attracted, as the current flows from the positive
pole of the battery to the spring g contacts f and b, wire 2, spring & and wire 1, to
the coils of the electro-magnet, through the same and over wire 4, springs 1 and
contacts n n³, and wire 3 to the binding screw g² and back to the negative pole of
the battery.
8
The armature A¹ is thereby attracted the lever arm C oscillated towards the
right and the crutch D lifted by being moved away from its stop pin ƒ*.
While the pendulum swings from the left to the right, the connections of the
platinum-contacts bf and n n¹ are interrupted and the circuit is broken. The
armature however remains still attracted by the residual magnetism in the cores of
5 the electro magnet A, whereby the crutch D is retained by the lever-arm C in
raised position without acting upon the pendulum. When the pendulum arrives
at the end of its oscillation from left to right the platinum contacts b¹ f¹ and m m¹
are connected with each other, which causes the battery-current to flow in a reverse
direction through the coils of the electro magnet, the current passing from the
O positive pole of the battery, binding-screw g³, wire 5, springs it, wire 6, binding
screw o, bracket o¹, spring o disconnector lever F¹, contacts p, pl wire 7, to the
coils of the electro magnet, then through the same to the conducting wire 1
supporting plate S, spring 8, wire 2, contacts b₁ f¹ and binding post g to the
negative pole of the battery. The reversal of the current in the coils of the
electro-magnet neutralizes the residual magnetism in the cores of the armature so
that the latter is dropped to its normal position. Simultaneously with the
dropping of the armature the contacts p pl of the disconnector lever F1 are
separated and the circuit broken. The dropping of the armature A' causes the
lever arm C to release the clutch so that it drops and imparts an impulse to the
pendulum which oscillates it from the right to the left. The crutch D is stopped
by striking against its stop-pin fx, which has the advantage that an impulse of
uniform strength is imparted to the pendulum. As the circuit is closed for an
extremely short time only at the ends of each oscillation of the pendulum, the
battery is but slowly exhausted and capable of acting for a considerable length of
time without requiring recharging whereby the running expenses of the clock are
considerably reduced.
The advantages are as follows
1 The absolute neutralization of the residual magnetism by the reversal of the
current in the coils of the electro magnet. 2 The prompt and effective dropping
of the armature and the instant interruption of the circuit. 3 The considerable
saving in battery power, by the use of a weak battery and consequently reduced
oxidation at the contact pieces.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents and in what
manner. the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1. In an electric clock the combination of an oscillating pendulum an oscillating
weighted crutch engaging therewith, an armature and electro magnet operating
such crutch, current closing and reversing devices and mechanism operated by the
said armature to operate the hands of the clock substantially as described.
2. Providing an electric clock with the disconnector F operated by the armature
of the electro magnet, so as to neutralize residual magnetism in the core of the
magnet substantially as described.
3. The general arrangement and construction of an electric clock substantially as
described, that is to say, the combination of an oscillating pendulum P having
contact pieces b b' and lateral projections ¹ springs g gl having contact-pieces ffl
springs and having contacts m m² and n n¹, arranged sideways of the

page_text: pendulum, electro magnet A armature A¹, disconnector F F operated by the
armature, said contact springs electro magnet and disconnector being in circuit
with the pendulum so that at one oscillation of the pendulum the curront passes in
one direction and is reversed through the coils of the electro magnet at the next
oscillation.
1
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