AN IMPROVEMENT IN CLOCKS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and W. Clark
of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute
of Patent Agents for an Invention of AN IMPROVEMENT IN CLOCKS
communicated to him from abroad by Victor Emile Versepuy, of Paris,
France
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd July 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents,
AN IMPROVEMENT IN CLOCKS." [Communicated to him from abroad by Victor
Emile Versepuy, of Paris, France]
SE
This Invention relates to a central winding clock, that is to say, a clock in which
the going or both the going and striking barrels are wound up by one and the
same arbor situated at the centre of the dial and about which the hour and
minute hands revolve without being affected by the rotation of this arbor in
winding up. The means by which this is accomplished consists essentially in
removing the so called "centre wheel" from its central position and putting the
winding arbor in its place.
And in order that the Invention may be more readily understood, I have
illustrated it in the annexed drawings and will proceed to describe it with
reference thereto.
Figure 1 is a face view, and Figure 2 an edge view of the mechanism in
front of front plate of the frame of a non-striking clock. Figure 3 shows the
arrangement for a central winding striking clock.
In Figures 1 and 2, a is an intermediate wheel fitted spring tight upon a long
arbor (corresponding to the ordinary centre wheel arbor) so as to turn with the
arbor and yet be free to be turned independently in setting the hands. This
wheel drives the minute wheel b of the same number of teeth and having a hollow
arbor or pipe which rides loose upon the winding arbor e and carries the minute

page_text: hand. The wheel a carries a pinion c which drives the hour wheel d having a
hollow arbor or pipe that rides upon the arbor or pipe of the minute wheel and
has the hour hand fitted upon it. The central winding arbor e which can turn
freely without moving the minute wheel b, carries a pinion f that gears with a
wheel g fast on the barrel arbor. The barrel is wound by a key applied to the
squared end of the arbor e which turns the wheel g through the pinion f. To set
the hands a milled disc h having a tubular stem' is fitted onto the externally squared
end of the pipe of the minute wheel; or a key may be used, or the hands may be
turned by the hand.
The mechanism which actuates the arbor of the wheel à does not form part of
the Invention and need not be described.
Figure 3 shows how the going and striking barrels may both be wound by the
central stem. f is the pinion fast on the central winding stem e as before which
gears with the two wheels j and k, on the underside of which are the clicks
and m which carry round the ratchets n and o fast on the barrel arbors p q and
whose teeth are respectively right and left handed as shown. By means of these
oppositely toothed ratchets and clicks, it results that on giving the pinion f a
succession of half turns alternately in opposite directions, it actuates the winding
ratchets alternately, so that although two barrels are wound, the strength of only
one spring is required to be overcome at one time. This arrangement of oppositely
toothed ratchets is morcover necessary for winding two barrels by a single arbor,
as, should one spring be completely wound up before the other, it would be broken
by continuing to wind up until the other is fully wound which it would con-
sequently not be in practice; and in certain cases it might not be possible to wind
up at all without breaking one of the springs, for instance; in case either spring
from any cause fails to run down whilst the other does do so in the regular way.
It will be understood that both barrel arbors are furnished with a second or
retaining click to prevent the arbor of the one turning back when the other is
turned forwards in winding

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st December 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A M and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
"AN IMPROVEMENT IN CLOCKS' A communication to me from abroad by Victor
Emile Versepuy of Paris, France:
"
This invention relates to a central winding clock, that is to say, a clock in which
the "going" or both the "going" and striking barrels are wound up by one and
the same arbor situated at the centre of the dial and about which the hour and
minute hands revolve without being affected by the rotation of this arbor in
winding up. The means by which this is accomplished consists essentially in
removing the so called centre wheel from its central position and putting the
winding arbor in its place.
And in order that the invention may be more readily understood I have
illustrated it in the annexed drawings and will proceed to, describe it with
reference thereto.
Figure 1 is a face view and Figure 2 an edge view of the mechanism in front of
the front plate of the frame of a non striking Clock.-Figure 3 shews the
arrangement for a central winding striking clock
In Figures 1 and 2 a is an intermediate wheel fitted spring tight upon a long arbor
(corresponding to the ordinary centre. wheel arbor) so as to turn with the arbor
and yet be free to be turned indépendently in setting the hands. This wheel
drives the minute wheel b of the same number of teeth and having a hollow arbor
or pipe which rides loose upon the fixed pipe or bearing r of the winding arbor e
and carries the minute hand-The wheel a carries a pinion c which drives the
hour wheel d having a hollow arbor or pipe that rides upon the arbor or pipe of
the minute wheel and has the hour hand fitted upon it The central winding
arbor e which can turn freely without moving the minute wheel b carries a
pinion that gears with a wheel fast on a barrel arbor The arbore turns in
a pipe or tubular bearing r carried by a cock s in front of pinion f, the barrel is
wound by a key applied to the square end of the arbor e which turns the wheel g
through the pinion f
To set the hands either a milled disc having a tubular stem i fitted onto the
externally square end of the pipe of the minute wheel, or a key may be used, or
the hands may be turned by the hand
The mechanism which actuates the arbor of the wheel a does not form part of
the invention and need not be described
Figure 3 shews how the "
the central stem.
going" and striking barrels may both be wound by
This figure shews a face view of the front plate with the ratchets mounted
on the ends of their respective arbors, by which by the going and striking
barrels may be wound by the central stem, f is the pinion fast on the central
winding stem e as before, that gears with the two wheels ; and k which carry
clicks and m which engage with and carry round the ratchets n and o on the
barrel arbors p q and whose teeth are respectively right and left handed as shewn
-By means of these oppositely tooth ratchets and clicks, it results that on
giving the pinion fa succession of half turns alternately in opposite directions it
actuates the winding ratchets alternately so 'that although both barrels are
wound the strength of only one spring is required to be overcome at one time
i

page_text: This arrangement of oppositely toothed ratchets is moreover necessary for
winding two barrels by a single arbor, as should one spring be completely wound
up before the other it would be broken by continuing to wind up until the other
is fully wound which it would consequently not be in practice and in certain cases
it might not be possible to wind up at all without breaking one of the springs for
instance in case either spring from any cause fails to run down whilst the other
does do so in the regular way.
It will be understood that, both barrel arbors are retained by a second or
retaining click (not shewn) to prevent the arbor of the one turning back when the
other is turned forwards in winding.
'
Instead of winding the barrels by giving the stem e a series of half turns in
opposite directions as above described, it may be first turned the requisite number
of revolutions in one direction to wind up the one barrel and then in the opposite
direction to wind up the other barrel, the winding in either case occupying the
same time as well as the same amount of force Figurre 4 represents the arrange-
ment in this case The mechanism remains the same except that the pinion f
gears with one wheel only k for instance which being geared with the other wheel
causes the latter to partake in its motion which ever way it may be turned In
this the ratchet wheels o and n should have their teeth inclined in the same
direction otherwise on turning pinion f in one direction, the both barrels would be
simultaneously wound up and on turning it in the reverse direction neither barrel
would be wound, which it is indispensable to avoid for the reasons before stated
as shown in figure 4 when e is turned to the left the left hand barrel is wound and
wheel turns idle and when e is turned to the right the wheel k transmits its
motion to j and the right hand; barrel is wound Figure 5. represents another
modification. a is the central winding stem terminated by a Knob or squared end
and having keyed upon it a clutch b whose opposite sides are notched, the teeth
being inclined in reverse directions The clutch bengages with two other
clutches cd loose upon stem a and forming part of the pinions f g which gear
with the wheels j k keyed on the barrel arbors p q As in the preceding modifi-
cations, retaining clicks mounted on the frame prevent either barrel running back
when the stem a is turned in the opposite direction to that for winding it.
Another mode of winding the going and striking barrels from the central stem
consists in making the pinion f to act on a single barrel which being double acting
actuates the "going" as well as the striking mechanism. The double acting barrel
being well known needs no description as it does not form any part of the invention
except in so far as it is combined with this system of winding by a central stem.
In all the foregoing arrangements the winding of the central stem may be effected
either by a Key or by a button Keys may therefore in all cases be dispensed with
and in order to avoid their use altogether the arbor of the pendulum regulator
(represented separately at a figure 6) is turned by a small button head c on the
end of a square stem d which slides in a socket in the arbor a and forms a
substitute for the watch key ordinarily employed for adjusting the regulator. The
Sliding Stem d can be reddily pulled out and turned for adjusting the regulator
and then pushed in until the button head is flush with the face of the Clock so as
not to interfere with the movement of the minute hand
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is..
First. A Central winding Clock substantially as herein shewn and described
Second. In a Central winding Clock, the Combination and arrangement of the
central winding arbor e gearing with the arbor of a single or double acting clock
barrel and of the minute and hour wheels both carried by pipesor hollow arbors and
gearing with the wheel and pinion a c on the centre wheel arbor placed out of the
centre substantially as shewn and described
Third. In a central winding clock, the combination of the wheel and pinion
gear à cbd constructed and arranged as described and of the central independently

page_text: rotating winding arbore gearing with the arbors of the "going" and striking
barrels through ratchets and clicks (in addition to the retaining clicks) for turning
the barrel arbors by motion of the winding stem in opposite directions.and fully
winding both barrels without danger of breaking the Spring, which may be wound
up first substantially as shewn and described
Fourth The herein described combination for effecting in the manner described,
the winding of the clock with a button head for the central winding stem and
a sliding button for the regulator arbor substantially as shewn and described
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark have hereunto set my
hand and seal this thirty-first day of December in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-three.
ALDI
M CLARK
[MONO]
(1017)