An Apparatus for Performing Operations at Intervals, Applicable to the Making of Electric Contacts or for Analogous Uses.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application. 19th Apr., 1833
Complete Specification Left, 19th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1889
An Apparatus for Performing Operations at Intervals, Applicable to
the Making of Electric Contacts or for Analogous Uses.
I HENRY EDMUNDS of 10 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex Electrical
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to provide an apparatus for performing operations
at intervals especially applicable for use with electrical appliances where it is
necessary to make electrical contacts at certain periods but applicable also to the
performance of other operations at certain times.
I employ a closed hollow cylinder divided into chambers with communications
between each other by small holes or passages permitting of the passage of liquid from
one compartment to another and with passages also for air. This drum is mounted
upon an axis upon which it revolves under the action of a weight or spring the
revolution only taking place in accordance with the time which it takes the liquid to
flow from one compartment into another. The aforesaid weight or spring is wound
up at intervals by ineans of the motive agent liberated at the requisite times by the
revolution of the drum. This motive agent is preferably electricity which may at
intervals energize a solenoid or electro-magnet so as to cause it to operate not only
the contact makers of the apparatus which its office it is to operate but also to wind up
the aforesaid spring or weight which causes the drum to rotate a spring being provided
to return the parts to their normal position. The winding up of the weight or spring
may be effected through a chain passing over a chain wheel on the shaft of the
apparatus which is operated by the solenoid or electro-magnet to make the contacts
for the said apparatus. As applied to the use of a weight a chain wheel is attached to
the drum axis and over both these chain wheels an endless chain passes with a slack
or depending loop in which the weight is situated. The contact maker operated at
stated intervals during the revolution of the drum may conveniently be brought into

page_text: peration by means of a disc fixed on the drum axis and having a notch in its
periphery. A roller runs on this disc and has connected to it a rod or device for
making the electric contacts for the purposes herein before mentioned. This roller
runs on this disc until it drops into the notch and then the contacts are made, the
solenoid or magnet energised, the main apparatus operated, and the weight or spring
wound up, and then the aforesaid spring draws back the solenoid when the solenoid or
magnet becomes demagnetized by the diversion of the current due to the making of
contacts as aforesaid.

page_text: the Making of Electric Contacts or for Analogous Uses.
I HENRY EDMUNDS of 10 Hatton Garden in the County of Middlesex Electrical
Engineer 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 :-
The object of my Invention is to provide an apparatus for performing operations at
intervals especially applicable for use with electrical appliances where it is necessary to
make electrical contacts at certain periods but applicable also to the performance of
other operations at certain times.
I employ a closed hollow cylinder divided into chambers with communications
between each other by small holes or passages permitting of the passage of liquid
from one compartment to another and with passages also for air. This drum is
mounted upon pivots.or an axis upon which it revolves in fixed bearings under the
action of a weight or spring the revolution only taking place in accordance with the
time which it takes the liquid to flow from one compartment into another or the power
applied.
In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section and
Figure 2 a section on the line A. B. of Figure 1. illustrating one of the ways in which
my Invention may be carried into effect. 1 is the closed hollow Cylinder or drum
divided into chambers 2 by radial division plates 3. the said chambers containing
liquid as at 4 and communicating with one another by the holes 5 through which the
liquid may pass and a communication between the several chambers is provided at 6
so that the air in the drum may never be confined in such a way as to interfere with
the free gravitation of the liquid.
7 is the fixed bearing or axis upon which the drum rotates; the drum turning in
fixed bearings may conveniently be geared with other mechanism as in the illustration
wherein a small spur pinion 8 attached to the drum gears into a wheel 9 which may
form part of a train operated by a weight 10 or spring or other motive agent under
whose influence the drum revolves. The period in which a revolution of the drum is
completed depends upon the time taken by the liquid to flow from one compartment
to another and as that in turn depends upon the quantity of liquid in the drum and
the size of the communicating holes, the speed of revolution may be varied by altering
either and the speed of the mechanism in gear with the drum will be altered accordingly.
An additional means by which the variation of speed may be effected is shewn in
Figure 2 where the air passages. 6 may have their effective area altered by the
regulating valve 19 which may be screwed in or out so as to vary the speed at which
the air may flow from one chamber to another the air in turn affecting the flow of
liquid through the passages 5.
The aforesaid weight or spring is wound up at intervals by means of the motive
agent liberated at the requisite times by the revolution of the drum. This motive

page_text: agent is preferably electricity which may at intervals energize a solenoid or electro
magnet so as to cause it to operate not only the contact makers of the apparatus which
its office is to operate but also to wind up the spring or weight which causes the drum
to rotate, a spring being provided to return the parts to their normal position or the
motive agent may be springs or weights or other appliances operated by hand or other-
wise. The winding up of the weight or spring may be effected through a chain 12
passing over a chain wheel 13 on the shaft of the main apparatus which is operated by
the solenoid or electro magnet to make the contacts for the said apparatus. As applied
to the use of a weight a chain wheel is attached to the drum axis or geared therewith
as 14 and over both these chain wheels an endless chain 12 passes with a slack or
depending loop 12" in which the weight 10 is situated. The contact maker or the bolt
or releasing gear of any kind which is operated at stated intervals during the revolu-
tion of the drum may conveniently be brought into operation by means of a disc fixed
on the drum axis or in gear therewith as illustrated in the drawing at 15 having a
notch or notches 16 in its periphery. A roller 17 runs on this disc and has con-
nected to it is a rod 18 or device for making the electric contacts or for releasing
the bolt or the like for the purposes hereinbefore mentioned. This roller runs on
the disc until it drops into the notch and then the contacts are made the solenoid
or magnet energized the main apparatus operated and the weight or spring wound
up and then a spring draws back the solenoid when the solenoid or magnet becomes
demagnitized by the diversion of the current due to the making of contacts as
aforesaid as described in my Patent No. 8641 and of 1887. Or the dropping of
the roller 16 into a notch at intervals may be caused to operate a détent or releasing
regulating or other apparatus which may regulate the performance of any desired
operation which apparatus may at the same time electrically wind up the weight 10
or spring by whose agency the drum is rotated.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of this Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
1. A timekeeping device consisting of a circular series of compartments or chambers
with passages for liquid from one to the other and capable of revolving on a fixed
axis or in fixed bearings in combination with a weight or spring substantially as
herein before described.
2. A timekeeping device or regulator consisting of a closed hollow drum divided
into chambers or cells connected by openings to each other, partially filled with liquid
and capable of oscillating or rotating on fixed centres or fixed bearings and arranged
in combination with motive mechanism to operate at regular intervals mechanical
or electro-mechanical apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
131.
حمد
1
הד
1000