Improvements in or relating to Alarm Clocks.
Year: 1898

page_text: DI MUIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by GEBRÜDER JUNGHANS, of Schramberg in the
German Empire, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in or relating to Alarm Clocks.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and
Lower Templo Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer,
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 present invention consists of improvements in alarm clocks, according to
which imechanism is provided for causing the alarm to strike intermittently instead
of continuing to ring until the spring has run down.
The invention comprises the details of construction herein after set forth and
particularly pointed out in the claims.
And in order to render the present specification more easily intelligible
reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which similar letters of reference
denote similar parts throughout the several views :-
Fig. 1 is a rear elevation with the framing partly removed to more clearly show
the parts behind the same,
Fig. 2 is an end elevation, showing the parts of the alarm device drawn in
full, those of the clockwork being merely diagrammatically indicated and
Fig. 3 is a part rear elevation drawn to a larger scale and also showing part of
the framing broken away.
Fig. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale of the spring arm and the cam p and
parts appertaining.
A ratchet-like wheel is mounted on the spindle 4 of the gear 3, which is driven
by the spring drum 1 of the clockwork and the intermediate gear 2. The member,
which serves to intermittently operate or arrest the alarm mechanism consists
of a pivotally supported lever c having near its free end an upwardly extending
arm d and an inclined, laterally projecting surface e at its extremity. The spring
drum i of the alarm device is mounted in the usual manner and operates the
hammer n of the bell by means of the gear k and the striker wheel h in the well
known manner. The drum i of the alarm device is provided with a series of
aterally extending pins ff in its face adjacent to the lever c and adapted to
otate with the said drum in the path of the laterally extending cam surface e of
he said lever. The gear k is also provided with a corresponding series of
aterally extending pins 9 adapted to rotate in the path of movement of the
pwardly extending arm d of the lever c when the latter is raised as herein after
lescribed. The lever c is provided with a substantially downwardly extending
pring arm badapted, when the said arm is raised to engage between two of the
op teeth of the ratchet-like wheel a and to arrest the said lever c in its upward

page_text: position for a certain period of time, according to the rate of rotation of the said
wheel a, which rotates in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1.
The device for releasing the alarm clockwork is of the ordinary construction
and consists, as illustrated in Figure 2 of a gear u mounted on a spindle t
and engaging a gear v loosely mounted on the shaft o by means of its 5
sleeve having a cam surface p' at its forward end to engage the radial
pin q, fast on the shaft o of the alarm hand. The spindle t is rotated by
the clockwork and turns the wheels u and the latter in the direction of
the arrow.
As soon as this wheel has been turned far enough to bring the
deepest part of the spiral cam at its end into contact with the pin q, the spring r 1
pushes the said sleeve forward, withdrawing simultaneously its inwardly turned end
from the wheel & and releasing the alarm mechanism in the known manner.
The device operates in the following manner:
0
The axle o of the alarm hand and its pin q are brought by hand into a position
corresponding to the time at which the clock is to give an alarm. Now, the pin qi
normally rests on the front surface of the cam p¹ (Fig. 2) of the sleeve p loosely
surrounding the axle and abutting against the spring arın ; the upper inwardly
curved part of this arm is therefore kept in engagement with the arm & so as to
prevent the hammer n from being actuated (see Fig. 2). When, however, the
sleeve with its cam p¹ is rotated by means of the wheels uv till the recess
provided on the front side of the cam p¹ (Fig. 4) coincides with the pin q-which
takes place just at the moment when the clock is to give an alarm-the arm r
presses the sleeve p forward and releases the arms so that the hammer n is now
free to oscillate. As soon as the alarm mechanism has been released, the wheels i, k
and h are set running, the lever c being in the position shown at Figure 3.
of the pins of gear i comes round it lifts the end of the lever c, engaging with
the inwardly turned cam surface e of the same. The lever c is lifted until its
upwardly extending arm d has been brought into the path of rotation of the pin g
and at the same time the spring arm b engages in the topmost teeth of the ratchet-
like supporting wheel a, so that after the pin f has passed from under the cam
surface e, the lever c will still remain in its upper position and will arrest the alarm
mechanism (Fig. 1) until the wheel a has turned round in the direction of the
arrow (Fig. 1) and lowered the lever c far enough to allow the pin g to be released
by the upwardly extending arm d, when the alarm again rings. This operation will
be repeated until the alarm spring has run down.
As one
It is not necessary to provide a wheel as at a, a suitable lever extension or a
wing might be employed and would serve the same purpose. It is merely necessary
that means are provided to periodically support and release the spring arm band
with it the lever c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1 In an alarm clock having clockwork and alarm mechanism as specified, the
combination of a swinging lever pivotally supported in proximity to the alarm
gearing, means in connection with the alarm spring drum to raise said lever, means
in connection with the said lever to stop the alarm mechanism and a moveable
support to retain said lever for a certain period in its raised position in the manner
and for the purpose substantially as described.
2: In an alarm clock the combination of a series of laterally projecting pins on
the alarm spring drum, a pivotally supported lever in proximity thereto and having
a cain surface to extend into the path of rotation of said pins, a series of laterally
extending pins to the wheel in gear with said drum and an upwardly extending arm
raised
to said lever adapted to extend into the path of said pins when the lever
and a rotary support to sustain said lever in its raised position for a certain period
and then allow the same to return to its initial position substantially as described.
3 In an alarm clock, the combination of a series of laterally extending pins on

page_text: the alarm spring drum, a lever mounted in proximity to said drum and having a cam
surface extending into the path of motion of said pins, a series of pins on the wheel
in gear with said drum and means in connection with the said lever to engage said
pins when the lever is raised, a downwardly extending spring arm to said lever
and means for periodically sustaining the same to retain the lever in its raised position
and then release the same substantially as described and shown.
a
4:-In an alarm clock, the combination of a series of laterally extending pins to
the alarm drum, and a lever pivotally mounted in proximity thereto and having
cam surface to extend into the path of movement of said pins, a series of laterally
extending pins on the neighbouring gear wheel and means in connection with the
said lever to engage the same when the lever is raised, a downwardly extending
spring arm to said lever and a rotary ratchet-like wheel mounted in proximity
thereto and adapted to engage with its uppermost teeth under the end of said spring
arm when the said lever is raised and on rotating further to allow said arm to fall to
its initial position in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described and
shown.
Dated the 01 7
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.