Improvements in or connected with Chiming, Ringing, or Striking Apparatus, more especially applicable to Clocks.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th NOV., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1900-Accepted, 22nd Sept., 1900
Date of Application, fot NOV., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1900-Accepted, 22nd Sept., 1900
Improvements in or connected with Chiming, Ringing, or Striking
Apparatus, more especially applicable to Clocks.
We, LANCELOT JOHN SMITH, of 18, 22, and 24, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell,
in the County of Middlesex, Clock Manufacturer and Metal Merchant, and
ROBERT JAMES RUDD, of 78, Sydenham Road North, Croydon, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with chiming ringing
or striking apparatus more especially applicable to clocks and the primary object
of the invention is to provide a simple arrangement of mechanism whereby
the hammers will after having been discharged be automatically restored to
their normal positions in readiness for the next operation.
In carrying the invention into effect the hammer wire or its equivalent is
connected to the long arm of a lever unequally mounted upon an axis of motion
and the short arm of which lever is furnished with a counterweight or it might
be a spring by the aid of which the long arin of the lever is raised at the times
desired.
The long arm of the lever is required to be depressed in order to raise or cock
the hammer or striker of the bell and it is at its end provided with a bevelled
tooth which in the descent of the lever encounters the bevelled end of a hook
like detent which is normally kept up to a stop by a spring and the lever is thus
held with the hammer in its raised or cocked position until it is released when
the hammer will be discharged and caused to sound the bell.
In order to automatically depress the lever after its discharge and thus again
raise the hammer into its cocked position a toothed snail or cam is mounted
upon an axis of motion carried by the lever and in the same vertical plane is
arranged a toothed wheel which is driven by the clock movement or other means
and this driven wheel in the raised position of the lever is engaged by the
toothed snail with the result that the snail is rotated and by reason of the
increasing diameter thereof the lever is depressed until its tooth engages the
detent as herein before described.
When the snail has performed its function it is possible that in the absence
of some controlling means it might owing to its momentum assisted by gravity
swing around its axis and come forcibly into engagement with the driven wheel
and strip some of its teeth or interfere with the proper action of the hammer
but in order to prevent this a brake is employed consisting of a weighted lever
which is mounted upon an axis of motion carried by the main lever and in the
depressed position thereof. falls forward by gravity into a position to engage the
toothed snail at its extreme tail or largest diameter and thus hold it in the
required position to enable the smallest diameter of the snail to come correctly
into engagement with the driven wheel upon the release of the lever by the
letent and in order to release the snail immediately before said engagement the

page_text: brake lever is provided with a tail which in the rise of the lever comes against
a stop, the office of which is to prevent the lever rising beyond a given point,
and the brake lever is thus tripped and held out of the way of the snail until
the lever is again depressed.
In order to prevent the lever rebounding upon striking the stop and thus
causing a jarring noise a pendent hook is provided which is sprung towards a
stud or bar carried by the lever and is on its face formed hollow or concave so
that it will assist the rise of the lever and snap into engagement with the stud
or bar and thus hold the same against the possibility of rebounding but the
hook is so shaped that the force which is necessary to depress the lever is
sufficient to overcome the resistance of the hook.
Any suitable means may be employed for tripping the detent such for example
as a pin in a revolving barrel, a key to be operated by hand and when a number
of bells, hammers, levers and coacting parts are employed, as would be the case
in a chiming apparatus, if the discharging device were a pin or tune barrel the
pins would be arranged in the position required to trip the several detents in
the required order or a keyboard might be substituted for the pin or tune barrel
so that the hammers could be discharged in any desired order and chimes or
tunes virtually played by hand.
Instead of employing a brake device for controlling the movements of the
toothed snail the snail may be provided with a laterally projecting flange to act
in conjunction with a vertical fixed guide bar so that in the rise of the lever
the end of the flange at the smallest diameter of the snail will rise up and beyond
and escape from the guide bar thus leaving the snail free at the moment it
engages the driven wheel whilst upon the descent of the lever the snail will
swing round until the end of the flange engages the lower end of the fixed guide
bar thus preventing its further oscillation and inasmuch as the flange travels
over the guide bar it will act to positively keep the snail in gear with the
driven wheel.
As a further modification the driven wheel and snail are formed with ratchet
like teeth so that they may slip past each other in one direction without risk of
injury and in this case also the brake might be dispensed with.
Dated this 18th day of November 1899
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
Improvements in or connected with Chiming, Ringing, or Striking
Apparatus, more especially applicable to Clocks.
We, LANCELOT JOHN SMITH, of 18, 22, and 24, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell,
in the County of Middlesex, Clock Manufacturer and Metal Merchant, and
ROBERT JAMES RUDD, of 78, Sydenham Road North, Croydon, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with chiming ringing
or striking apparatus more especially applicable to clocks and the primary object
of the invention is to provide a simple arrangement of mechanism whereby
the hammers will after having been discharge be automatically restored to
their normal positions in readiness for the next operation.
In carrying the invention into effect the hammer wire or its equivalent is
connected to the long arm of a lever unequally mounted upon an axis of motion

page_text: and the short arm of which lever is furnished with a counterweight or it might
be a spring by the aid of which the long arm of the lever is raised at the times
desired.
The long arm of the lever is required to be depressed in order to raise or cock
the hammer or striker of the bell and it is at its end provided with a bevelled
tooth which in the descent of the lever encounters the bevelled end of a hook
like detent which is normally kept up to a stop by a spring and the lever is thus
held with the hammer in its raised or cocked position until it is released when
the hammer will be discharged and caused to sound the bell.
In order to automatically depress the lever after its discharge and thus again
raise the hammer into its cocked position a toothed snail or cam is mounted
upon an axis of motion carried by the lever and in the same vertical plane is
arranged a toothed wheel which is driven by the clock movement or other means
and this driven wheel in the raised position of the lever is engaged by the
toothed snail with the result that the snail is rotated and by reason of the
increasing diameter thereof the lever is depressed until its tooth engages the
detent as herein before described.
When the snail has performed its function it is possible that in the absence
of some controlling means it might owing to its momentum assisted by gravity
swing around its axis and come forcibly into engagement with the driven wheel
and strip some of its teeth or interfere with the proper action of the hammer
but in order to prevent this a brake is employed consisting of a weighted lever
which is mounted upon an axis of motion carried by the main lever and in the
depressed position thereof falls forward by gravity into a position to engage the
toothed snail at its extreme tail or largest diameter and thus hold it in the
required position to enable the smallest diameter of the snail to come correctly
into engagement with the driven wheel upon the release of the lever by the
detent and in order to release the snail immediately before said engagement the
brake lever is provided with a tail which in the rise of the lever comes against
a stop the office of which is to prevent the lever rising beyond a given point,
and the brake lever is thus tripped and held out of the way of the snail until
the lever is again depressed.
Any suitable means may be employed for tripping the detent such for example
as a pin in a revolving barrel, a key to be operated by hand and when a number
of bells hammers, levers and coacting parts are employed, as would be the case
in a chiming apparatus if the discharging device were a pin or tune barrel the
pins would be arranged in the positions required to trip the several detents in
the required order or a keyboard might be substituted for the pin or tune barrel
so that the hammers could be discharged in any desired order and chimes or
tunes virtually played by hand.
Instead of employing a brake device for controlling the movements of the
toothed snail the snail may be provided with a laterally projecting flange to act
in conjunction with a vertical fixed guide bar so that in the rise of the lever
the end of the flange at the smallest diameter of the snail will rise up and beyond
and escape from the guide bar thus leaving the snail free at the moment it
engages the driven wheel whilst upon the descent of the lever the snail will
swing round until the end of the flange engages the lower end of the fixed guide
bar thus preventing its further oscillation and inasmuch as the flange travels
over the guide bar it will act to positively keep the snail in gear with the
driven wheel.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect we will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings
more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus constructed according to the

page_text: Figure 2 is a similar view showing the apparatus in its discharged position.
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the employment of a keyboard
for discharging the apparatus.
Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 1 but representing a modification, the
apparatus being shown in its cocked position.
Figure 5 is a similar view of parts but showing the apparatus in its discharged
position.
Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 4 of parts illustrating a modified form
of guide for the snail or cam.
In the several figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 a represents a bell, represents a hammer or
striker which sounds the bell, b₁ represents the hammer lever, 62 represents the
axis of the hammer lever, 63 represents a wire or its equivalent by the aid of
which motion is communicated to the hammer lever and f represents a toothed
wheel which is mounted upon an axis f¹ and continuously driven in any suitable
manner as is well understood.
In carrying the present invention into effect the hammer wire or its equiva-
lent is through a loop 6 connected to the long arm of a lever c unequally mounted
upon an axis of motion c¹ and the short arm of said lever is furnished with a
counterweight or it might be a spring by the aid of which the long arm of the
lever is raised at the times desired.
The long arm of the lever c is required to be depressed in order to raise or
cock the hammer or striker b of the bell a and it is at its end provided with a
steel or other tooth bevelled or rounded on its under side which encounters
the bevelled or rounded end of a hook like detent which is mounted upon an
axis of motion d' and normally kept up to a stop 2 by a spring and the
lever c is thus held with the hammer b in its raised or cocked position as shown
at Figure 1 until it is released when the hammer b will be discharged, as
represented at Figure 2, and caused to sound the bell a.
In order to automatically depress the levere after its discharge and thus again
raise the hammer b into its cocked position a toothed snail or cam c is mounted
upon an axis of motion c carried by the lever e and in the same vertical plane is
arranged a toothed wheel f which is mounted upon an axis of motion f¹ and
continuously driven in the direction of the arrow by a clock movement or other
means and this driven wheel f in the raised position of the lever c is engaged
by the toothed snail as indicated at Figure 2 with the result that the snail c
is rotated and by reason of the increasing diameter thereof the lever c is depressed
until its tooth engages the detent das herein before described thereby cocking
the hammer b.
When the toothed snail has performed its function it is possible that in
the absence of some controlling means it might owing to its momentum assisted
by gravity swing around its axis and come forcibly into engagement with the
driven wheelf and strip some of its teeth or interfere with the proper working
of the hammer b but in order to prevent this a brake is employed consisting of
a weighted lever which is mounted upon an axis of motion carried by the
main lever c and as said lever c descends into the depressed position falls forward
by gravity into a position to engage the toothed snail at its extreme tail or
largest diameter as indicated at Figure 1 and thus hold it in the required
position to enable the smallest diameter of the snail to come correctly into
engagement with the driven wheel f as indicated at Figure 2 upon the release of
the main lever c by the detent d.
In order to release the snail e from the brake lever c6 immediately before said
engagement the brake lever is provided with a tail which in the rise of the
lever c comes against a stop g, the main office of which is to prevent the main
lever e rising beyond a given point at which the snail correctly engages the
driven wheel f, and the brake lever is thus tripped and held out of the way
of the snail et until the main levere is again depressed.

page_text: The device represented in the drawings for periodically tripping the detent
and releasing or discharging the lever c consists of a barrel mounted upon a
shaft or
axis of motion receiving rotary motion in the well known manner
and provided with a pin or stud which in the revolution of the barrel in the
direction of the arrow acts upon the tail of the detent d and trips it in the
required manner and when a number of bells a hammers b levers c and coacting
parts arranged in different vertical planes are employed as would be the case in
a chiming apparatus the pins or studs would similarly be arranged on the
barrel in different vertical planes and in the positions required to trip the
several detents d in the desired order all of which is well known and understood
in connection with chiming apparatus.
It will be obvious that in lieu of the pin or tune barrel other well known
means of tripping the detent d might be employed and such for example as a
keyboard to be operated by hand so that the hammers could be discharged in
any order selected at the moment and chimes or tunes virtually played by
hand.
which upon
In the example given at Figure 3 a diagrammatic view of snch an arrange-
ment is shown and which consists of a key lever mounted upon an axis of
motion like a piano key and provided with a nose or projection
the depression of the key i acts upon the tail d of the detent d.
In the example given at Figures 4 and 5 the driven wheelf instead of being
placed above the main lever c is arranged below the same and the toothed snail
or came instead of being directly mounted upon the main lever c is carried by
a crank or offset c* projecting downwardly therefrom and the brake and pendent
hook are dispensed with.
In this case the toothed snail or cam e consists of a segment of a circle
eccentrically mounted upon the axis carried by the crank or offset e* and
on the discharge of the lever c from the detent is carried into engagement
with the driven wheel f.
In order however to prevent the toothed suail or cam after it has depressed
or cocked the lever c from accidentally coming into engagement with the driven
wheel until the required time and also to hold it positively in gear with said
wheel when in action the following arrangement of parts is employed.
Axially of the snail or cam c and formed or fixed therewith is arranged a
heart shaped cam 10 and in connection therewith is employed a guide or shoe j
carried by an arm j mounted upon an axis at 2 and held up to the cam c¹⁰ by a
spring a set screw j being employed to adjust the guide or shoe j with relation
to said cam.
+
In the cocked position of the lever c the shoe j engages the cam c10 just after
the snail e has done its work and left the driven wheel f and retains it in the
position indicated at Figure 4 out of engagement with said wheel but upon
the discharge of the lever c from the detent the cam co moves slightly away
from the guide or shoe j and permits the snail or cam to swing round by
gravity with the cam co lightly in engagement with the shoe or guide ; which
acts as a brake to check the undue momentum of the snail and to cause it to
come gently into engagement with the driven wheelf and which position of the
parts is represented at Figure 5 whilst the spring 3 permits the parts to slightly
separate in the event of their being subjected to a shock or obstruction thus
avoiding possible breakage.
As the snail or cam c is carried round by the driven wheel f the heel of the
shoe or guide by running against or by reason of its close proximity to the
cam 10 effectually prevents the possibility of the snail & coming out of engage-
ment with the driven wheel thus rendering the action of the apparatus positive.
In the example given at Figure 6 the parts are substantially the same as those
represented in the previous figure except that in lieu of the arm j¹ a bracket j
is employed and instead of the guide or shoe ja truck or roller j carried by said
arm is provided to act in conjunction with the cam co but the action of the

page_text: device is similar to that herein before described with respect to Figures
and 5.
By the means herein before described a simple and inexpensive apparatus is
obtained by the aid of which the hammers after having been discharged will be
automatically restored to their normal or cocked positions and which by reason
of its simplicity is not liable to become disarranged.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A striking ringing or chiming apparatus comprising a main lever connected
with the hammer or striker of the bell, means for raising the lever, a toothed
snail or cam mounted upon an axis of motion carried by the main lever a
constantly driven toothed wheel arranged adjacent to the snail and adapted to
engage the snail or cam and by the increasing diameter or radius of the latter
depress the lever and cock the hammer, a detent for holding the main lever in
its depressed position and means for tripping the detent and discharging the
main lever and hammer substantially as herein shown and described.
2. A striking ringing or chiming apparatus comprising a main lever connected
with the hammer or striker of the bell, means for raising the lever, a toothed
snail or cam mounted upon an axis of motion carried by the main lever, a
constantly driven toothed wheel arranged adjacent to the snail and adapted to
engage the same and by the increasing diameter or radius of the latter depress
the lever and cock the hammer a detent for holding the main lever in its depressed
position, means for engaging or guiding the snail as it leaves the driven wheel
and holding it in correct position for that part adjacent to its axis to engage
the driven wheel on the discharge and rise of the main lever and means for
tripping the detent and discharging the main lever and hammer substantially as
herein shown and described.
3. A striking ringing or chiming apparatus comprising a main lever connected
with the hammer or striker of the bell, means for raising the lever, a toothed
snail or cam mounted on an axis of motion carried by the main lever, a con-
stantly driven toothed wheel arranged adjacent to the snail or cam and adapted
to engage the same and by the increasing diameter or radius of the latter depress
the main lever and cock the hammer, a detent for holding the main lever in its
depressed position, a weighted brake lever mounted upon an axis carried by the
main lever for engaging the snail as it leaves the driven wheel and hoiding it
in correct position for that part adjacent to its axis to engage the driven wheel
on the discharge and rise of the main lever, a stop for limiting the upward
movement of the main lever, a tail to the brake lever for engaging said stop and
releasing the snail at the times required and means for tripping the detent and
discharging the main lever and hammer substantially as herein shown and
described.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.