IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND OTHER TIMEKEEPERS
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BANISTER, of Colchester, in the County of Essex, Watch Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth.
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventh day of May, in the sixth year of His reign, did, for
Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph
Banister, His especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Joseph Banister, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Joseph Banister, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND OTHER TIMEKEEPERS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Joseph Banister, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the.
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Banister, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Draw-
ings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say :-
Drawing No. 1 represents a view of a clock escapement as the spectator
stands in front of it, which I prefer first to describe. A and B are the two
pallets acting on their centre of motion at C; each of these pallets has a separate
arbor; D and E are the two crutches attached to them; E', E', are portions
of the escape wheel; F is a frame, holding two detents G and II, attached
to two separate arbors I and J; K and L are two adjusting weights, keeping
the ends of the detents bearing against the pins m and n in the screw heads
M and N, which screw heads by being turned to the right hand or left adjust
the respective detents to their right height, and if required, will throw off the
detachment altogether, in which case the maintaining power must be reduced
from one pound and three quarters to about five ounces. O and P are two
Ight springs, attached to the respective detents at their centers or arbors, the
other extremity of the springs resting upon the pins R and S, and are intended
to quicken the motion of the detents; T and V are two pins, one in cach
detent, to catch the ends of the two crutches; W and X are two screws, one
in cach crutch, to adjust them to their respective crutches, so that each crutch
may impel the pendulum the same distance; Y and Z are two screws, to keep
the respective crutches a proper distance from the pendulum; a and b are two
screws, to put the clock on beat; C' and D¹ are two counterpoises to tho
respective crutches, and serve to conpensate the expansion of the catch, so as
to give each exactly the same power to propel the pendulum.
Drawing No. 2.-Figure 1: This is a representation of the escapement
fixed on the back of the pillar plate, with the pendulum and its detachments,
&c., &c. A is the pillar plate; B, B, is the stirrup for the suspension of tho
pendulum, and possesses all the requisites of an universal joint; C, C, is a large
picce of brass fixed upon a strong steel arbor, which runs through the frame,
and is supported by the cock D; this piece fits a corresponding piece in a large
brass bracket, through which a stout steel screw passes and fixes the frame and
bracket firmly together. To this bracket is fixed a slider with a fork, which lies
under the pendulum top piece F, by which the pendulum is lifted from its place
by means of a screw. By this plan the clock may be taken down or removed,
leaving the pendulum suspended upon the hook or slider of the bracket.
I and J are the two pallets, as explained by Drawing, No. 1, moving upon
two separate arbors; K, K, portion of the escape wheel; II is the pendulum;
I and M the two crutches, (before described in Drawing No. 1,) which act

page_text: upon the two jewels set in a square piece of brass, sliding upon the pendulum
at P; Q and R are the two detents before described, so balanced that the two
springs q and s will throw them up with the aid of the weights at K, L, in
Drawing No. 1, before described, after they have been pressed down by the
balances T and V, attached to the pendulum by means of the two arms A' and
A'; it will be seen that the pendulum has moved to the right, and that the
balance V has began to force down the detent R by its being in immediate
contact with the pin, (shewn by the dot) at the end of the said detent at a', and
is about to relieve the crutch M, (by depressing the pin X in the said detent)
below the end of it, when it will immediately fall and come in contact with tho
pendulum at N and propel it forward till the crutch comes in contact with the
adjusting screw obscured by the pendulum, where it will rest in a similar
manner to the corresponding one exhibited on the other side of the pendulum.
The pendulum in its motion to the left will come in contact with the crutch ].
at the other jewel in the brass sliding piece P at p³, the crutch gives way and
forces up the pallet I, when the wheel immediately acts upon the pallet's slope
and throws up the crutch L in advance of the pendulum. In doing this tho
slant end of the said crutch coming in contact with the pin (shewn by tlie dot
at b'), in detent Q, forces down the detent, and having passed the pin, the
detent means of its weights and spring, immediately resumes its former
position, and is ready to receive and retain the end of the crutch on its return.
By this time the pendulum has nearly advanced to it, and the balance T
coming in contact with the pin D forces down the detent Q and sets the
crutch L at liberty, when this crutch immediately falls upon the side of the
pendulum at the jewel P', and propels it to its former place.
Figure 2 is a section of the detent frame; Figures 3 and 4 are the detents
with their pins Y and T in Figure 8, and V and M in Figure 4; Figure 5 is
a section of the pallets and frames. C is part of the pendulum; D is the end
of one of the crutches resting on the side of the pendulum; A and B are the
two pallets; a and b are the two pieces which adjust the crutches for beat
at C, C, receive the two counterpoises, represented in Drawing No. 1, C'
and D.
Drawing No. 3 represents the escapement for a chronometer. It will be
seen I have availed myself of the different properties of the duplex and
detached escapement to effect my purpose; before a general description it may,
perhaps, be better to describe the different parts. Figure 3 shews the pallet
with its propeller F; the locking piece G, which passes the pin in the locking
detent, and by which it is held after the mainspring has wound it up to the point
required; E is the passing place in the arbor, as is well known in the duplex

page_text: escapement, but with this difference, in the duplex the notch is cut in the roller
in the direction of the staff; in this the notch is cut across, and in such manner
to suffer the long tooth in the duplex wheel to pass through at once. His the
propelling spring which is wound up to a proper tension by force of the main-
spring acting through the train of wheels upon the pallet I. Figure 4 represents
a perspective view of the balance with the great pallet A, unlocking pallet C
with the pendulum spring and stud C; Figure 5 is the detent in the usual
form; Figure 2 is a front view of the escapement in action at the moment the
propeller is bearing upon the great pallet; B is the locking detent, and c is the
small pallet at the end of tho working detent. Suppose the large pallet A is
going to the left, which brings the unlocking pallet C in contact with the un-
locking spring, when the propelling spring (see Figure 3) instantly exerts its
force upon the large pallet, and as it moves with greater velocity than the
large pallet, forces it onwards until the notch in the staff presents itself to the
long tooth in the duplex wheel, which it instantly passes, and would go forward
if the upright tooth in the wheel did not como in contact with the pallet I, and
by the power of the mainspring winding up the propelling spring to its proper
tension, where it waits till the balance comes round, and raises the detent again
from its position, when the propeller is again in motion, and acts upon the
large pallet A at a, as before described. D, D, are frames, holding two
adjusting screws to prevent the pallet overshooting itself, which performs the
like office of causing the propeller to move in a certain arc or distance, as is
performed by the crutchers and parts connected therewith in the clock escape-
ment, above described in Drawings No. 1 and No. 2. Figure 1 shows the
work in action, the mainspring and train of wheels being under the plate in
the usual way, except the escape wheel A, which is outsido; B is the
pallet, described in Fig. 3; C is the balance, described in Fig. 4; D is the
frame. holding the adjusting scrows; and E is the locking detent (seo Fig. 5.)
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I wish it to be understood that what I claim, as secured to
me under the present Letters Patent, are,-
First, the mode herein described for ensuring a correct performance of the
chronometer by controlling the propeller to move through an invariable arc
cr distance, as is clearly shown at Figure 3 in Drawing No. 3.
And, secondly, the mode herein described of controlling the movement of
the crutches D, E, Drawing No. 1, and L, M, Drawing No. 2, through an
invariable arc or length, by means of which improvements the balance and
dulum respectively are detached from the maintaining power which acts on
the wheels, thus causing the impulse to be always the same, notwithstanding

page_text: any errors in the construction of the train of wheels, and whereby watches and
other timekeepers having my improvements applied will keep more correct
time.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Banister, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourth day of November, in
the year of our Lord 1886, the aforesaid Joseph Banister came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord One