IMPROVEMENTS IN FOG ALARM, OR AUDIBLE SIGNAL MECHANISM
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Gardner, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOG ALARM, OR AUDIBLE SIGNAL MECHANISM."
A communication from abroad by George Sweanor, of the City of Montreal,
Quebec. Dominion of Canada. Machinist.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Gardner at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th September 1877.
HENRY GARDNER, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of 166,
Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOG ALARM,
OR AUDIBLE SIGNAL MECHANISM." (A communication from abroad by George
Sweanor, of the City of Montreal, Quebec, Dominion of Canada, Machinist.)
This Invention relates to improvement in fog alarm, or audible signal mechanism,
the object being to enable an alarm to be sounded intermittently. For this purpose
a train wheel mechanism is operated by a suspended weight to drive a shaft having
a fast and loose cog wheel, which engages with a ratchet bar attached to a piston
in an air cylinder, to lift said piston, when the cog wheel is held from rotation on its
shaft by a clutch and lever, automatically operated by a cam wheel on the driving
shaft. When the clutch is disengaged from the cog wheel it revolves on the shaft,
thereby allowing the piston to fall in the cylinder by its gravity to expel air through
a reed or whistle connected to the cylinder.
The speed of the machinery is regulated by one or more air pumps, to which a
fast or slow motion is given by a greater or less inlet of air through controlling
cocks, whereby the stroke of the piston can be regulated to give the desired interval
of sound.

page_text: Two sets of train wheels independently gear with the main or driving shaft,
whereby one set can be wound to raise the suspended driving weight while the other
set is running to rotate the driving shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
March 1878.
HENRY GARDNER, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company, of 166,
Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents. "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOG
ALARM, OR AUDIBLE SIGNAL MECHANISM." (A communication from abroad by
George Sweanor, of the City of Montreal, Quebec, Dominion of Canada, Machinist.)
The object of the Invention is to sound a whistle or horn at regular
intervals by means of a winding mechanism operating automatically, and
consists,―
1. Of the combination of an air cylinder having a piston automatically dropping
therein by its gravity, to force through a horn having a whistle, or one or more
reeds, to give audible sound, a spring clutch, lever, and cam mechanism for lifting
said piston and letting off the same at intervals operated by train wheels, one or
more air pumps or brakes for regulating the speed, and a winding drum operated by
a coiled spring or a rope and weight for producing the running power, whereby
sound is audibly produced at regulated intervals.
2. In combination with the air brakes or pumps and the mechanism for operating
the piston of the air cylinder, a duplicate winding mechanism, operating indepen-
dently, whereby one of the drums may be wound while the other is giving off
motive power.
Figure 1 is a plan view; and Figure 2 a side elevation of my improved
machine.
1 is a base for the columns 2, supporting the frame 3, on which the operating
mechanism is mounted, the air cylinder 4 standing on said base, and connected by
an artery with a mouth-piece 5, provided with a whistle or one or more reeds 6,
within a horn 7. 8 is a piston in the cylinder 4, having a rack bar 9, which
engages with a loose pinion 10, and bar 9 is kept in contact with 10 by a friction
wheel 11, carried by the frame 12, bolted to the frame 3, in which frames are
journalled the shaft 13, carrying the pinion 10 and clutch gears 14, one part
integral with the pinion 10, and the other sliding on the shaft 13, and operated
by a lever 15, one end pivoted to an arm 16 sliding in a barrel 17, secured to the
frame 3. The free end of the arm is provided with a friction wheel 18, which is
kept in frictional engagement with cog wheel 19, having laterally two cams 20, by a
spiral spring 21.
The pinion 10 near one end end of shaft 13 meshes with cog wheel 19 on shaft
22, which carries loose pinion 23, having a pawl engaging with a ratchet wheel 24,
fast on shaft 22, pinion 23 engaging with cog wheel 25, secured to winding drum
26, both loose on spindle 27, and cog wheel 25 engages with loose pinion 28, on

page_text: winding shaft 29, pinion 28 having one part of a clutch 30, the other part of the
clutch 31 keyed to slide on shaft 29, and has a screw thread fitting into a sleeve in
the hub of a hand wheel 32, by which the clutches are engaged or disengaged by
the screw sleeve being projected or withdrawn by the operation of the hand wheel,
when in connection, and its shaft operated by a crank handle 49, by manual or
other power; the drum is operated winding a rope thereon, provided with a
weight, or the drum may be provided with a coiled spring for giving the motive
power, or the machine may be driven by hot air or steam power.
To provide for winding the machine without stopping its operation I employ
duplicate winding mechanism, consisting of the pinion 33 loose on shaft 22, having
a pawl engaging with a ratchet wheel 34, fast on shaft 22, and pinion 33 engaging
with cog wheel 35, secured on winding drum 36, both loose on spindle 27, and cog
wheel 35 engages with loose pinion 38, on winding shaft 29, pinion 38 having one
part of a clutch 40, the other part of the clutch 41 keyed to slide on shaft 29, and
has a screw-thread fitting into a sleeve in the hub of a hand wheel 42, by which the
clutches are engaged or disengaged, as before described, for the clutch 30, 31. Thus
while one drum is giving off power the other may be accumulating it by the winding
of the rope thereon, or the spring within, while one drum is giving off power, its
clutch mechanism should be out of engagement, thereby allowing its pinion to turn
freely on shaft 29 without operating the other drum, which when the power is nearly
expended is wound by turning its clutches into engagement and turning the
shaft 29.
By means of the duplicate winding gears a long length of rope is dispensed with,
oftener winding being performed.
On shaft 22 is keyed cog wheel 43, which meshes with pinion 44, keyed on a
crank shaft operating with the pump 45, which is provided with three cylinders
a, b, c, having piston rods which connect with the crank shaft of the pinion 44, and
one of said cylinders is provided with a stop-cock d to regulate the inflow of air;
when said cock is closed the machinery will stop, and on being opened to a
greater or less extent the more or less speed will be allowed. The other two
cylinders are provided with stop-cocks e and f, which are connected by a pipe 46,
provided with a stop-cock 47, which is opened and closed by means of a rod 48,
attached to arm 16, to admit air to the cylinder at the proper time.
The operation of the machine is as follows,-
-
The drums are alternately wound by the shaft 29, and during the operation of
winding the pawl slides over the ratchet wheel of its pinion on shaft 22, the
other drum meanwhile giving off power to drive the machinery, the speed of
which is controlled by a greater or less inflow of air to the pump cylinder
admitted through the stop-cocks.
The revolution of the wheel 19 brings its cams into engagement with arm 16,
operating the lever 15, thus disengaging the clutch gears 14, and freeing the pinion
10, which revolving allows the piston 8 to fall in the cylinder 4, and expels the air
through the reeds or whistles and sounds the alarm.
After a cam has passed the arm 16 the spiral spring 21 brings the clutch gears
14 into engagement, and pinion 10 then operates to lift the piston
by its rack
bar 9, and when the arm 16 meets the next cam 20, the piston automatically
falls as before described.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, --
First. In combination with a winding mechanism operating a piston in an air
cylinder for giving audible sounds by means of a whistle or reed, one or more air
pumps constructed substantially as described, and adapted to control the speed and
thereby regulate the intervals of sounds.
Secondly. The combination in a fog signal giving audible sounds by means of
compressed air of a winding mechanism consisting of two sets of gears, one set
capable of being wound while the other is running off, and a cylinder having a

page_text: piston operated, thereby to expel air through a whistle or reed for giving audible
sound, all constructed and substantially as set forth.
Thirdly. The combination in a fog signal giving audible sounds by means of
air forced through a whistle or reed, of an air cylinder having a piston automatically
raised and dropped therein at intervals, by the operation of a spring and clutch,
and lever and cam, a train wheel winding mechanism and one or more air pumps
to regulate the length of interval between the sounds, all constructed substantially
as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Gardner, have hereunto set my hand and
goal this Fightmonth day
L
HENRY GARDNER. (Ls.)