Improvements in and relating to Electric Clocks.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1890-Accepted, 7th Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Electric Clocks.
We, NICOLAUS PROKHOROFF, Watchmaker, and NICOLAUS FAHLBERG,
Merchant, both of Kiew, in the Empire of Russia, 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 :—
Our invention relates to electric clocks in which a primary clock regulates the
secondary clocks through the medium of an induction current.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 shows in diagram the arrangement of the primary clock and an induc-
tion regulator serving to connect the same with the secondary clocks.
An induction coil a a provided between the poles of a steel-magnet A. is set in
rotation by a weight a through the medium of pulleys mm m, a drum b and gear-
wheels k, so as to generate an induction current which flows through a con-
ductor wherein the secondary clocks are included, and which changes its
direction in every half revolution of the said coil.
Upon the axis of the induction coil is fixed a double armed lever d d recessed at
its ends, which therefore participates in the rotary movement of the induction-coil.
One end of this lever is turned towards a wheel which is provided with triangular
teeth and belongs to the wheel-work of the primary clock k* k** g. The afore-
said wheel has twelve teeth and is supposed to make five revolutions an hour, thus
advancing one tooth every minute. The lever d d is arrested in its rotary move-
ment by one of its ends engaging with the wheel. As the latter advances one
tooth it releases this lever and allows the same to recommence its rotary movement,
whereupon the other end of the lever engages with the said wheel. Accordingly
the induction current changes its direction every minute.
Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the primary clock and the induction regulator in
somewhat greater detail, Figure 2 being a front view, and Figure 3 a rear view
from which the inductor has been omitted. In both figures the lever d d is shown
in the position in which it is arrested by the wheel f.
When the lever d d liberated from the wheel performs a rotary movement, its
end, before half the revolution has been made, strikes against a lever e, which has
its fulcrum at and is suspended from a fixed point y through the medium of a
spiral spring (Figure 3). Thus an obstacle is presented to the continued rotary
movement of the lever d d, which enables the extremities of the latter to engage
with the wheelf without any jerks.
In Figures 2 and 3, k¹ kkk and o³, and designate wheels of the
clockwork, the wheels last mentioned serving to transmit the movement of the
minute-wheel to the hour-wheel.
The wheel t added makes one revolution an hour, which by means of the
wheel g is so transmitted to the wheel that the latter performs five revolutions
an hour.
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 represent one of the secondary clocks.
Figure 4 shows a diagram of the device employed in the secondary clocks for
establishing their connection with the primary clock.
In the circuit is included an electromagnet M M, opposite which are arranged
two magnets NS, which polarize the armature Q connected with the pallet R.
Under the action of the current changing its direction every minute, the two
extremities of the armature Q are alternately attracted so that now the end p and
then the end of the pallet R will be caused to engage with the escapement-
wheel r. It will therefore be seen that the escapement QR py operates similarly
to a pendulum.

page_text: n
Figure 5 shows a front elevation, Figure 6 a side elevation, and Figure 7 a rear
elevation of a secondary clock.
The peculiar form which the magnets N S present in this arrangement is designed
to facilitate the mounting of the wheel-work.
In the regulator of the primary clock, a spring can be employed in lieu of a
weight for turning the induction coil a a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. An electric primary clock by which the regulation of the secondary clocks
is obtained through the medium of an induction current in such a manner that a
double armed lever d d connected with the induction coil a a, which is turned by a
weight, spring or other special motor, is arrested in every half revolution by
engaging with a wheel moved by the wheel-work of the primary clock, thereby
effecting at equal intervals of time the interruption of the induction current causing
the oscillations of the escapement QRg of the secondary clocks.
Second. In combination with the above mentioned lever dd, the arrangement
of a second lever e suspended by means of a spiral spring and which arrests the
lever d d before it has performed half a revolution, for the purpose of enabling the
ends d of this lever to engage with the toothed wheel without any jerks.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.