Improvements in Electrical Contact Devices for Clocks and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Mar., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrical Contact Devices for Clocks and
the like.
We THOMAS SMITH PAYNTER, Merchant, of 79, St. Heleu's Gardens, North
Kensington and GEORGE COCKROFT WALKER, Draughtsman, of 73 Wroughton
Road London, S.W. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of our invention is to provide simple means for causing the hand of a
clock to complete an electrical circuit at any desired time by coming into contact
with an arm or spring secured to a revolving glass, or arm & so ringing a bell or
producing other required effects.
We carry out our invention by fitting a binding screw to an aperture made in the
glass disc and secure it by cement or a nut on the inside, and to the inwardly
projecting end of the screw we fix a metal spring against which the hand can press
at the desired moment. In case only a short contact is required we fix the spring
or arm to an insulated block or collar mounted on the inner end of the binding
screw & allow such spring or arm to bear against a projection forming part of the
binding screw so that the clock hand first makes contact with the spring and then
bends it away from the projection and so breaks the contact. The time the hell
would continue to ring can thus be regulated by varying the amount of spring
pressure. The spring or arm may be mounted on the glass in other ways than
previously described without departing from the spirit of the invention.
The operator can revolve the glass carrying such contact devices by means of
the binding screws & a small stud may be fixed on any part of the glass to facilitate
the operation.
In applying our invention to clocks provided with glasses otherwise shaped than
circular or fixed we pivot a revolving glass or arm with our device attached
thereto, on the inner side, or a series of holes could be provided in a fixed glass &
our contact maker inserted in any desired one. The clock can be caused to give a
double alarm by providing the hand with a fork thus allowing more than one
contact with the spring or arm, or more than one contact maker can be fixed to
the glass.
To prevent the glass revolving too freely a flat spring or springs or a screw can
be provided. When the device is attached to an arm pivotted in the centre of a
fixed glass a clamping screw is fitted to the boss so that the arm can be fixed in
any position.
Dated this 14th day of February 1906
THOMAS SMITH PAYNTER.
GEORGE COCKROFT WALKER.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrical Contact Devices for Clocks and
the like.
We, THOMAS SMITH PAYNTER of 79, St. Helen's Gardens, North Kensington
London, Merchant, and GEORGE COCKROFT WALKER of 73, Wroughton Road,
London, S. W. Draughtsman 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 this invention is to provide simple means for causing the hand of a
clock to complete an electrical circuit at any desired time; for ringing an electric
bell, or
producing other required effects, in cases where a current is employed for
a short length of time and this we accomplish by attaching our new contact maker
near the periphery of the ordinary glass disc of a clock, mounted in such a manner
that it can he rotated, or, to an arm pivotted in the centre of a glass disc, so that
the contact maker can be carried round to any point on the dial.
After contact has been made, and a bell for example rung for a certain length of
time the motion of the hand automatically interrupts the current in a manner which
will be well understood & also the various details of the invention by reference to
the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a section of a glass disc with our device attached thereto.
Figs. 2 & 3 are diagrams illustrative of the manner by which contact is made &
broken by means of our device.
Fig. 4 is a section shewing our contact maker attached near to the periphery of a
glass disc.
Figs. 5 to 12 show alternative forms of construction on the same principle
as Figs. 2 & 3.
Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing how a double alarm could be caused on an
electric bell, by means of our device.
Like letters indicate like parts.
Referring to Fig. 1. A is a metal arm with one end attached to a binding
screw B passing thro' a hole in the glass disc E, the other end being bent inwardly
at a. to make electrical contact with a spring D. which is secured to an insulating
body C. rigidly attached to the arm A. When the clock hand touches the inner
end of the spring D the circuit will be completed by way of the hand the spring D,
the arm a A, & the binding screw B, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2; and
the hand in moving will interupt the current without actually releasing the
spring D. as will be seen in Fig. 3.
In Fig. 1 the arm A is passed thro' a hole in the binding screw B and curved in
such a manner that it will bear with a certain amount of spring pressure on the
glass disc, which will prevent any undue rotation of the arm whilst allowing it to be
set to any division on the clock face. Instead of curving the arm A, spring or
leather washers may be arranged to produce a similar result, or a clamping nut F,
(Fig. 11) may be provided on the screw B.
In Fig. 4 our contact maker is attached near to the periphery of a glass disc E.
the arm a passing thro' a hole in the glass to the binding screw B. and carrying a
spring D & insulating body C as in the previous example.
In Fig. 5 the parts before described are shewn in a slightly modified form.
In Fig. 6 the arm D. secured to the insulating body C, is pivotted on the arm a
& held normally in contact therewith by a spring or rubber band G. Fig. 7 shows
the same in sectional elevation and secured to a glass disc.
Fig. 8 shows the arm D pivotted to the body C on a separate pivot d.
In Fig. 9. the arm D is pivotted as at H. contact being made at one end with
the clock hand and at the other with the arm a.

page_text: Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the spring D secured to the insulating
body C in a reverse manner to that shewn in Fig. 5.
Instead of fixing or pivotting the insulating body C. on the arm A a, it can be
placed on the spring D which as shewn in Fig. 12 can be directly attached to the
arm a either by soldering, rivetting or in any other convenient manner, & bent or
coiled to give the necessary amount of flexibility.
The spring D might also be pivotted at the outer end of the arm a & caused to
bear against the contact point by a rubber band or spring such as G in Figs. 6 & 8.
To complete the circuit between the clock and the arm a we provide a platinum or
other metal contact piece J on the strip of insulating material C;.the current will
be interupted by the clock hand moving the spring D, C, J away from the arm a
in the same manner as described in reference to the preceeding figures. To cause
a double alarm on an electric bell for example we provide a fork such as I Fig. 13
on the hand which will come into contact twice with an arm D, or more than one
contact maker could be provided on the glass disc E. It is evident that various
modifications might be made in the parts of our contact maker without departing
from the spirit of the invention & that it may in any of the described forms be
attached to an arm such as A Fig. 1 or near to the periphery of a disc capable of
being rotated. The tension of the spring or arm D may be regulated by providing
an adjustable contact screw on the arm a, which will thus determine the length of
time during which electrical contact is made.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, & in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. An electrical contact device on the principle illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3,
constructed in any of the various forms shown, for attachment to existing forms of
timepiece, provided with a fixed glass disc, or a disc capable of being rotated.
A spring or arm such as D, the tension of which may be regulated, being so
arranged that electrical contact will be made with the clock hand, and broken
before the hand has actually released such spring or arm, as herein shown &
described.
2. In electrical contact devices such as a C, D, J the combination therewith of an
arm such as A, connected to a binding screw such as B, and bearing upon the glass
disc with a certain amount of spring pressure, or clamped as by a nut F, such devices
being attachable to existing forms of timepiece, which can thus be caused to
complete a circuit at any desired time as herein shown and described.
3. In the electrical contact devices, such as A a, B, C, D, J, the use in
combination therewith of a forked hand such as I Fig. 13, for producing a double
alarm on an electric bell as herein shown and described.
Dated this 23rd day of March 1896.
G. C. WALKER.
T. S. PAYNTER.