An Improved Sonorous Alarm and its Application to Watches, Clocks, and Alarums.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1886.
Complete Left, 7th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 8th July, 1887.
An Improved Sonorous Alarm and its Application to Watches,
Clocks, and Alarums.
We, GERMAIN BAPST and LUCIEN FALIZE, the younger, both of 6 rue d'Antin,
Paris, France, Jewellers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists in utilizing as means for producing a sonorous, intense and
powerful alarm the shrill or acute sound developed by the vibrations of a flexible
metal plate or of any other material, whether plane or curved, and in applying
these means to a watch, to a clock, or to an alarm clock.
The sound produced by the use of such plates has no analogy with the sound
developed by a gong or bell, the vibrations of which are free, such sound resembling
more a beating or clacking or a stridulation than a vibration. This beating or
clacking is moreover frequently repeated. We shall not enter into theoretical details
with reference to the vibrations of plates held at one point and set vibrating at
another point by means of a bow. An analogous phenomenon is produced by using a
slightly curved metallic ring or disc and causing it, by exerting a pressure at its centre,
to become sufficiently altered in form so that the direction of the curvature may
change, when in consequence of the plate striking the air a sharp beating sound is
produced. An analogous phenomenon can be produced by enclosing in a frame the
edges of a perfectly flat metal plate (a thin glass or wooden plate could also be used)
and of any suitable form to which is fixed at a right angle thereon a rigid lever or
rod firmly held. By depressing one extremity of this lever or rod and then releasing
it a vibration is obtained and communicated to the plate thus producing waves which
cause the peculiar sound required.
The above principles of acoustics are utilized by us in our alarm apparatus which
cannot be properly termed alarm bells but which form loud calling means of a novel
kind whose applications either to telegraphy telephony or horology or in all cases
where a sonorous signal is required may be both numerous and varied.
The intensity of the sound produced by these means has no other limit than the
dimensions and the thickness of the plates used.

page_text: The plates which have to produce a shrill sound may be set in motion by various
means, either by electricity, by means of a direct call, by an electro magnet, or by a
simple mechanical means actuated by any suitable motor such as clock work for
instance, in which case the sound is intensified by means of a sonorous case or box.
The chief application of our vibrating plate which is the object of this invention
consists in making use of the same in the construction of clocks or alarms actuated by
clock work, in place of the gongs usually employed. We will particularly mention
its application to a watch which thus acquires the properties of an alarm, such appli-
cation being carried out in the following manner. Besides its ordinary works, the
watch contains a distinct motor disengaged at a precise moment and set for bringing
into action the alarm which is determined by the adjustable position of a hand moving
over the dial.
In order to adjust such position, without being obliged to open the watch, this hand
is prolonged as far as the lower inclined edge of the glass bezil or rim which is
mounted upon the case by means of a groove or recess allowing it to turn round, the
said bezil or rim being provided with an index enabling one to ascertain accurately
at which point of the minute divisions the hand is stopped at.
The additional mechanism above mentioned actuates a small toothed wheel which
comes into contact in its plane, or in a plane perpendicular thereto, with a small steel
finger or style fixed to the vibrating plate and forming an integral part therewith.
This vibrating plate is composed of a thin steel disc on the periphery of which is
inserted a metallic ring forming a frame which supports the plate. The vibrating
plate thus mounted is situated in the watch at a place usually occupied by the case
and is fixed by means of a perforated metallic plate which fits into the opening of
this case.
An analogous system could be applied by altering the dimensions thereof
to any class of clocks in order to convert the same into alarm clocks.
Dated this 7th day of September 1886.
ERNEST DE PASS, Fel. Inst. P.A.,
68, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Sonorous Alarm and its Application to Watches,
Clocks, and Alarums.
We, GERMAIN BAPST and LUCIEN FALIZE, the younger, both of 6 rue d'Antin,
Paris, France, Jewellers, 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
Our Invention consists in utilizing as a means for the production of a very
powerful, very intense, and sonorous alarm, the shrill noise produced by the beating
under suitable conditions of a flexible vibrating plate, whether metallic or not, plane
or dished, and to apply such means of sonorous alarm to a time piece, to a watch, or
to an alarm clock.
The sound which we produce by the use of such plates has no analogy with the
sound of a gong, or of a bell, which has a free vibration; it resembles more a beating
or a stridulation than a vibration. This beating is besides frequently repeated. If a
slightly dished metallic disc is subjected to a sufficient deformation by exerting a
pressure upon its centre, the sense of the curvature is changed, as shewn in fig. 1, of
the accompanying drawings, while producing a harsh beating caused by the plate
striking the air.
An analogous phenomenon may be obtained by enclosing in a frame, the edges of a
well hammered and thoroughly plane metallic plate (even a glass or a thin wooden
plate) of any suitable shape to which is fixed, at right angles thereto, a rigid lever, or
a small point or finger, strongly held as shewn in fig. 2 of the drawing. By inflecting
this point or finger at its extremity O, and then releasing it, a vibration is obtained
from 0 to 0, and communicated to the plate, while producing undulations causing a
somewhat strong noise, which may be repeated as many times as required by causing,
for example, the point or finger to be actuated by a toothed wheel forming part of a
clock work, as shewn in fig. 4, in which the sound is amplified by means of a sonorous
chest or case. This plate may be likewise set in motion by electricity by a direct
action or by that of an electro-magnet, as shewn in fig. 3 of the drawings. It is the
sonorous organ thus defined which we apply to alarm clock works, and we shall now
proceed to describe the manner in which this application is carried out. We will
take as an example a clock-work constituting a portable time piece, or travelling
clock, and will refer to figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings shewing a sectional elevation,
and half an underside view of our improved alarm clock. Upon the lower part A, of
the clock frame, forming a pedestal thereto, we fix by means of screws, or otherwise,
the uprights or pillars V V. This frame has an annular opening and a screw threaded
rim a, in which fits a screw threaded ring b. This ring presses, by the whole of its
periphery, upon the sonorous plate c, which is thus firmly secured. The finger or
point d fixed upon its plate is acted upon by the teeth of the toothed wheel r which

page_text: causes the plate to produce the shrill noise or beating, above described, when the
exact time at which the alarm has been set having been reached, the clock work is set
going in the ordinary way. The same means of sonorous alarm may be applied to
watches, the mechanism being then arranged in the following manner. Not having, as
in the preceding case, a strong and rigid frame at our disposal, whereupon to fix our
stridulous plate, we impart the necessary rigidity thereto by fixing it at its edges and
incasing it within a metallic ring D, as shewn in figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings. After
this plate has been thus framed we place it in the watch, in the place occupied
by the case in an ordinary watch, and we fix it in position by means of a disc fitted in
the frame of the said case, by means of a groove and fillet. The metallic finger or
point being firmly fixed to the stridulous plate, so as to form a part thereof, is acted
upon by the teeth of a wheel b placed in this case in a plane parallel to that of the
plate and consequently perpendicular to the axis of the point or finger. It is sufficient
that the release should take place at the time at which the alarm has been set for the
teeth of the wheel b to immediately and successively inflect and release the finger a,
producing the jerky and noisy motion of the plate c. The various parts of the wheel
work may be of any suitable kind, and analogous or identical to those used in all
classes of alarm clockwork.
We have devised for setting the alarm hand a special and very simple arrangement
enabling the said hand to be moved without opening the watch. For this purpose we
prolong this hand to the inclined edge of the glass rim or bezil, and we engage its
extremity in a notch formed in this inclined edge. The glass rim or bezil being
mounted upon the case, by means of a groove and fillet, or by means of a small neck,
enabling the said frame to be turned round, it will be readily understood that by thus
turning the glass bezil it will also turn the alarm hand which is required to be set,
and the latter may be stopped upon any suitable point of the dial. An opening
formed in the glass rim or bezil enables the extremity of this hand to be seen, together
with the minutes circle over which it moves.
Having now described the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, we declare that we claim :-
1. The improved sonorous alarm or call, characterized by the combination of a thin
and flexible vibrating plate provided with a small finger or point, and of any suitable
mechanical means whereby, by producing rapid, frequent, and repeated motions of
this point and of the plate upon which it is mounted, a peculiar beating, caused by
the membrane striking the air, is obtained, substantially as above described with
reference to figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 of the accompanying drawings.
2. The improved alarm clock and alarm watch characterized by the application or
employment of our improved kind of alarm or signal formed by a vibrating plate
actuated by a toothed wheel to which a motion is imparted by an independent auxiliary
motor released at the required moment by the mechanism of the clock, or of the
watch, substantially as above described and shewn with reference to figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 of
the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination of a glass rim or bezil mounted upon the watch case by means
of a groove and fillet, or by means of a small neck, permitting it to be turned, with
an opening enabling one to see exactly on what precise point of the minutes circle the
hand forming a part of the glass rim is placed, and serving to indicate the time of
the alarm or the precise time at which the mechanism must be released, substantially
as above described.