Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 10th May, 1895-Accepted, 22rd June, 1895
I, WILHELM JERGER of Niedereschach in the Grand Duchy of Baden, in the
Empire of Germany, Clockmaker do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
In clocks worked by springs and which require winding in longer or shorter
intervals it is obvious that their movements will vary, being fastest when the
driving spring is fully wound up, and slowest when nearly run down.
There have been invented devices which were to diminish or abolish altogether
this difference in speed, "particularly by placing a smaller spring between the
driving spring and the balance wheel, but from certain defects they have not
accomplished the object in question.
In my invention I place a small spring case not on the balance wheel spindle,
but on a separate spindle which has this advantage that a winding up of the spring
case by the main spring is only required after a number of revolutions of the
balance wheel.
Consequently balance wheels with rapid movement may be employed, such as
are necessary with quick motion ship's clocks and the like, whereas the arrangement
of the spring case on the balance wheel spindle would be possible only with the
slow motion pendulum clocks.
In order to construct a continuously correct going clock, it is necessary to
prevent by all possible means the spring in the spring case running down to any
extent, on the contrary it should be allowed to unwind only a few turns, always of
equal number.
Now after the driving spring has run down to a fixed point, the spring case nust
not act any further on the balance wheel, because otherwise the spring 'in the
spring-case would gradually become unwound.
In order to suspend all movements after the driving spring has run down and
after the mechanism up to the spindle carrying the spring case has become stopped
with it, an arm is fastened to the spindle carrying the spring case, and an eccentric
to the spring case. This eccentric is provided with a pin which places 'itself before
the arm whereby the spindle carrying the spring case and with it the arm, after the
disengagement of one of two special pius, cannot be moved any longer by the
unwound driving spring.
The position of the arm is naturally to be made so that the first pin cannot get
within its reach until after the disengagement of one of the other two pins and
after having passed through a semi-circle.
The power necessary for winding the driving spring exerts a 're-action on the
mechanism of the clock so that upon a pin disk fastened to the spindle carrying
the spring case a reverse motion may be exerted, and with it also upon the spring
case itself; in connection with which an unwinding of the spring in the spring case
would take place.
This retrogade movement is made impossible by placing a loose lever arm on a
third spindle, which swings freely in a downward direction, in order to admit of
the free passage of the two pins before mentioned, but which is prevented from
moving in an upward direction by a short arm striking against a stop.
Now in case the disk pin receives an impulse to a retrogade movement, 'when the

page_text: clock is being wound, one of the two pins before mentioned places itself against the
lever arm and motion is stopped.
By these means the spring in the spring case continues to retain the same strain.
and a reduction of its turns is made impossible.
The eccentric attached to the spring case also actuates a fork, which has its
fulcrum on a fourth spindle, to which another lever is fastened, which is thus
brought to a rocking motion. This lever is provided at its off end with a hook,
which arrests one of the two pins previously mentioned until the arrested pin slides
off the hook by the lever swinging either right or left.
A wheel loose on the spindle but attached to the spring case gears with a wheel
fastened to the balance wheel spindle.
The balance wheel is connected by one of the ordinary escapements to the
balance.
The spindle carrying the spring case and its attachments, is connected by a
wheel with the ordinary clock mechanism, by which it is actuated from time to
time, thus winding the small spring in the spring case.
Dated this 10th day of July 1894.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Agent for Applicant.
An Improved Clock.
I, WILHELM JERGER, of Niedereschach, Baden, in the Empire of Germany,
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 :-
Clocks running for eight days or for a longer time, and also chronometers running
for an equal length of time have the defect that they cannot keep accurate time,
as with the full power of the mainspring, that is to say when the spring is under
full tension, the clock regulates differently from what it does when for instance the
spring is under mean or lower tension until it has run down. Accordingly the
clock, in the course of a period such as for example eight days, will have a period
of advance and a period of retardation, since an absolutely regular movement
cannot be achieved.
The present clock has new arrangements and devices which act in such a manner
that the balance wheel, or its motive power is rendered independent of the greater
or less tension of the mainspring or the driving power of the clockwork. The new
arrangement is particularly designed for chronometers, but may of course be also
employed for any other clock. In the accompanying drawing the new arrange-
ment, in order to be readily understood, is supposed to be used in connection with a
simple clockwork, it may however also he applied to any other suitable construction
of the clock or of the escapement. The power of the mainspring a, by means of
the customary ratchet a', spring wheel a', pinion b, wheel b', pinion c, bottom
wheel cl, and pinion d, is transmitted to a newly added spring box in such a manner
that the latter will be "wound up" in a certain short period, for instance after
every minute, while through the same the balance wheel e, will be operated. This
small spring box d is firmly connected with a toothed wheel d (Fig. 2) and the
two, dd, are loose upon the arbor d³. In the spring box d¹, is arranged a spiral
spring d (Fig. 3) put under suitable (mean) tension, one end of the spring being
secured to the wall of d' at do, and the other end directly to the arbor d' or to a
collar de firmly held upon dat d'.
With the pinion d fixed upon the arbor d' is connected a disc d, which is
therefore also fixed upon d'. This disc d³ (Fig. 4) carries at diametrically opposite
points, but differently placed in the radial direction, two adjusting pins d

page_text: With the spring box is firmly connected the eccentric d" arranged on the
cover of the same and embraced by a fork f which has its fulcrum on the arbor f¹.
Upon the arbor 1 is moreover provided a lever f' (Fig. 2) to which therefore a
pendulum motion is imparted by the turning movement of the eccentric d¹ through
the intervention of the fork f. The lever possesses at its end a hooks (Fig. 5)
which arrests one of the pins d' do until the pin held slides from the end of the
lever swinging to the right or left. The wheel d² engages with the pinion e¹
actuating the balance wheel e.
This balance wheel e is connected by one of the known escapements, shown in this
case by Clements hook g with the balance h.
As will be readily seen, the spring in its tendency to unwind, actuates the
spring box d¹ and the wheel connected with d' in the direction of the feathered
arrow, so that the balance wheel e and the balance are operated in the usual
manner.
In this rotation of the spring box d¹ the spring is of course unwound to a
corresponding extent.
The power of the mainspring a which acts upon the wheelwork a¹ a² b b c d¹ d,
is however in the first place checked during this operation, because the last wheel,
the pinion d together with the arbor d, is stationary owing to the fact that the
disc d connected with d is held by the hook f' passing to the front of the pin do.
With the spring box d turned by the spring d' is also turned the eccentric d"
which causes the fork and lever f' to oscillate, until the latter reaches the
position I (Fig. 4.), wherein slides from do. At once the mainspring a exerts
its power and acting momentarily sets the arbor d in rotation by means of the
pinion d in the direction of the unfeathered arrow (Figs. 1. 3.) until the pin d³,
being placed in a different position from d in the radial direction, has been put in
front of the lever hook f now swinging back, whereby the wheelwork arranged
between and a is caused to stop again. In the aforesaid rotary movement of the
arbor d the spring has been wound up again, as much as it had run down
previously by the movement of the spring box.
After the spring box d' has then turned round so far that the eccentric d" has
moved the lever " to the other position II the described operation is repeated,
inasmuch as now the pin a slides from the hook f' of the lever f'. The wheel-
work of the clock from a¹ to d³, therefore makes its movement at greater intervals,
while the wheels dee make the customary movement controlled by the
balance h.
By the wheel & the jumping motion is transmitted by the wheel to the inner
arbor for the minute hand. The hour hand is moved by the well-known
wheelwork. As the balance wheel e has a period of stoppage and a period of
motion, the arrangement may be such that the winding up of the spring box d,
takes place during the former period, thereby obviating in any case a gradual
unwinding of the spring d, which in the other case might happen in course of
time.
As shown in the drawing, the small spring box d' is here arranged, not upon the
axis of the balance wheel, but upon the arbor d situated in front of the balance
wheel e.
This presents the advantage that the winding up of the spring box d' is
necessary only after the repeated rotation of the balance wheel e. Accordingly use
may be made of balance wheels having a rapid motion, such as is requisite in the
case of quick moving chronometers and the like, while the arrangement of the spring
box a upon the axis of the balance wheel would be possible only in the case of the
slow movement of pendulum clocks.
In order to produce a clock running for a long time it is necessary at all events
to prevent the spring d' of the spring box d from running down partly or wholly,
indeed it should be kept at the same number of windings, that is to say the
spring should always be wound up as much as it has run down in its regular
movement.
If therefore the mainspring a has run down to the limit assigned to it, the spring

page_text: "box must not actuate the balance wheel e any further, because the spring d'
would otherwise be completely unwound in course of time.
In order to completely stop the clock after the running down of the spring a and
the stoppage of the wheelwork from a² to d, an arm or an adjusting screw is
fixed upon the arbor d or uponían adjustingiring thereon, Figs. 6. and 7; and upon
the eccentric d is provided a pin d which passes to the front of the armed when
the arbor and consequently the arm d after the disengagement of one of the
pins do can no longer be set in rotation by the mainspring a which has run down.
The position of the arm dis will of course have to be such that the pin'd" could
come within its reach only after the disengagement of one of the pins de 10 and
after turning in a semicircle.
In the winding up of the mainspring a the power necessary for winding the
spring reacts upon the wheel work of the clock, so that a turning movement of the
pin disc d and consequently of the arbor d³ in the opposite direction to that of its
normal movement can take place, which would cause the unwinding of the spring d
in the spring box d¹.
Such a backward movement is there rendered impossible by providing on an
arbor a loose lever arm-in' which can swing downwards in order that the
pins will slide past it but which is prevented from making a movement in
the other direction upwards, by the projection n' bearing against a stop o.
Ifthus the pin disc receives the impulse for a backward movement during the
winding up of the clock, the corresponding pin dor do will bear against the lever
armn, and the movement is stopped.
Owing to these arrangements the spring d of the small spring box is therefore
kept at the same tension, and a decrease of its windings is rendered impossible.
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 :
First. A clock in which a special spring box d is added on a separate spindle
between the mainspring a of the works and the balance wheel e, the spring d of
the said box actuating the balance wheel e, this spring d' being automatically
wound up, by the mainspring a after having run down to a certain extent, in short
periods of time as 'herein described and set forth.
Second. A constructional form of the clock described in the first claim, in which
the spring in the box now added is wound up again because the eccentric d
connected with the spring box, by means of the fork, moves the stopping lever f
from a pin dor do on the disc in connection with 'the clockwork, whereby the
driving work heretofore stopped will be disengaged, and will now wind up the
spring d again, as herein described and set forth.
Third. The clock described in the first claim, in which the stoppage of the said
clock after the running down of the mainspring a, is effected by a pin darranged
on the eccentric d passing to the front of the stopping arm d on the arbor d',
when the latter can no longer be turned by the run-down mainspring a, as herein
described and set forth.
Fourth. The clock described in the first claim, in which the reaction of the
power employed for winding up the 'mainspring a, acting upon the spring box d', is
neutralized by one of the pins do, do of the pin disc d which will in the return
movement bear against the lever arm n preventing a continuance of this movement
said arm however permitting the passage of the pins d' do in their movement in
the proper direction, as herein described and set forth.
Dated this 10th day of May 1895.
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Agent for Applicant.