CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexandre Amédée Rossignol, of No. 4, Rue
de Villiers, Paris, in the Empire of France, Chemist, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS."
Sealed the 16th November 1869, and dated the 20th May 1869.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexandre Amédée
Rossignol at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 20th May 1869, pursuant to the
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDRE
AMÉDÉE ROSSIGNOL, of No. 4, Rue de Villiers, Paris, in the Empire of
France, Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant
unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am
the first and true Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexandre Amédée Rossignol, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my
hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed and forming part
of this Specification, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
My Invention consists in an improved construction of movement for
electric clocks.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a plan of the mechanism
for giving motion to an electric clock, applicable in all cases where such
an instrument can be employed with advantage. A spiral spring M of
suitable strength is fixed at one end on an arbor A of the mechanism to
be moved, and at the other end on a ratchet wheel R, moveable on this
arbor. A stop spring a holds the wheel R in the position required for
giving the necessary tension to the spring M; this spring M draws
round the arbor A and the centre wheel C, which turns the second
wheel D by means of a pinion. The second wheel is provided with pins
serving to raise a light copper rod or spring for shutting off the current
from a battery passing through the electro-magnet E. The contact
piece of soft iron F is moveable on an arbor X, and has at its opposite
end, which is of copper, a catch spring t, a spiral spring b, or a pressure
spring p (Figure 2), keeps the soft iron from the electro-magnet at a
distance regulated by the screw V, and so that the catch t just rests in
the hollow of one of the teeth of the wheel R. When the current from
the battery passing through the springs 1, l, is thrown into the electro-
magnet the soft iron is attracted and the catch thereby draws round
the wheel R; the current soon ceases, the soft iron leaves the electro-
magnet, and the catch t leaves the tooth on which it rested and catches
on to the following one; the wheel R keeps its position, being held by
the spring a. This arrangement is susceptible of a very large number
of applications. For instance, the wheel R can be on the main arbor A,
or on a secondary arbor.
I do not here describe the different arrangements of wheel work
known in horology, Figures 2, 3, and 6 are sufficient to exemplify its
applications.
Figure 2 shews a mechanism for marking (by adding to it the minute
wheelwork, Figure 5) the time given by a regulator placed at a distance.

page_text: The current thrown off by the regulator attracts the soft iron F, causes
the wheel R to turn one tooth, and distends the spring M, at the same
time a rod fixed on the arbor of the escapement and resting on the soft
iron lever follows the movement of this lever (by its weight or by the.
aid of a spring) the escapement falls and allows one tooth or a pin of the
wheel I to pass. When the current is broken the escapement rises, and
the tooth or pin is completely free. It will be clearly understood that
this escapement has not altogether the same action as that of ordinary
clock escapements, it only serves to stop the passage of the teeth. I have
not thought it necessary to describe the various escapements applicable
to this mechanism, their construction being well known.
The piu or anchor escapement may be employed as shewn in Figures
2, 3, and 4. It is not necessary to fully describe Figure 3, the
mechanism shewn in which serves for the same purpose as that shewn
in Figure 2. In this Figure the soft iron, the escapement anchor, and
the lever carrying the spring t, are fixed on the same arbor and move
at the same time. The electro-magnet is larger and is placed behind.
I can also employ two electro-magnets. Figure 7 shews a plan of this
arrangement in which more than two magnets may be employed. The
spiral spring is not required. The ratchet wheel R is fixed either on the
main arbor A or on a secondary arbor. Two catch springs t, t, fixed
at the end of the levers L, L', rest on the teeth of the wheel R, and
draw it round in the direction of the arrow, either by their weight or by
the action of suitable springs, as at N. The wheel C gears with the
pinion of the wheel D, which carries pins on its two sides serving for the
same purpose as the pins in Figure 1. In this arrangement there are
pins on both sides for alternately raising two springs (of which only
one is shewn in the Drawing) which distribute the current successively
in the two electro-magnets. When the current passes, the corresponding
soft iron is attracted and draws along the catch t, and brings it back to
its primitive position, causing it to advance one tooth on the wheel R.
A spring m fixed on the arbor X of one of the levers and pressing on a
pin 9 fixed to the other lever at half the distance between the two
arbors, will be usefully employed when it is required to equalise the
pressure during the backward movement of one of the two levers.
Figure 8 shews the application of this arrangement to an ordinary
clock movement. The various parts are similar to those before described,
and need no further description.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of performing the same, what I claim is, the general arrangement and
combination of mechanism for giving motion to clocks, as herein-before
described and represented in thic accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexandre Amédée Rossignol,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.