An Automatic Memorandum Clock.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 13th Oct., 1891-Accepted; 5th Dec!, 1891
PROVISIONAL DI FUIFICATION.
An Automatic Memorandum Clock.
JOHN DAVIDSON Watchmaker Wick N.B. I do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
An "automatic memorandum clock" which produces or gives the following
results.
Supposing a person wishes to be reminded to fullfil a promise to do a certain
thing, at a particular hour, or keep any kind of engagement during the day, the nature
of the promise or engagement wd. be written on a slip of ivory, celluloid, or other
material, and placed in a slot, when the time arrived at which the person wished
to be reminded, the same slip drops out, and falls into a box, and a bell rings,
calling the attention of anyone within hearing of the bell.
The foregoing result is produced in the following manner. Placed on the hour-
wheel of a clock, with the movement placed on its. back, is a drum, or barrel, in
which there are slots or holes going through the drun or barrel, endways,
representing twelve hours, and the quarters or other parts of the hours, this drum
or barrel revolves above a stationary plate, this stationary plate has one slot or hole,
immediately below 'and in the same circle as the slots or holes in the revolving
drum.
The slip or tablet on which the 'memo is written, is placed in the slot or hole
representing the hour, quarter or part thereof, at which one wishes the tablet to
drop out, the tablet passes through the revolving drum, and the end of it rests on
the stationary plate, the revolving drum, or barrel carries the tablet round as the
clock goes, and when the 'tablet arrives at the slot or hole in the stationary plate its
own weight causes it to fall in a box, below the slot or hole in the fixed plate, and in
view of anyone present, and a bell rings calling attention to the fact that a tablet
has dropped in the box. On the side of the revolving drum is printed or otherwise
the hours, quarters, or other parts of the hours, and the time is thus indicated by
a pointer fixed on the stationary plate, the hours, quarters, or other parts of the
hours are printed on the top of the drum opposite the slots or holes showing where
to place the tablet. The revolving drum or barrel may contain or have placed in
it a number of tablets with memos, and each one will 'drop down in the box, when
it comes round to the slot or hole in the fixed or stationary plate.
The bell is made 'to ring in this manner, the alarm work of an ordinary clock or
other clock-work is attached to the clock movement or otherwise with a rod, or wire
attached to the hammer-head, hammer arm, or arbour of same, in connection with
alarm work, or other clock-work already mentioned, this rod, or wire extends to,
and rests against (by pressure from the alarm work) the side or otherwise of a
spring bottom of the box, or receptacle already mentioned, so that when the tablet
falls out of the drum into the box, the weight of the tablet pushes down the spring
bottom of the box, thus relieving the rod or wire attached to the hammer or
otherwise, and the alarm work or other clock-work causes the bell to ring until
the bottom of the box springs up, and again locks the hammer or clock-work.
I can apply the drum and other arrangements to give, or produce the results
already described, by attaching the same to the top, bottom, or either side of an
ordinary clock.
I can also produce the ring or call in this manner, with a rod or hammer arm,
fixed with a pivot or joint, attached to the spring bottom of the box already
'mentioned, so that when the tablet drops in the box, the hammer head will strike a
bell. Or I can cause the weight of the tablet push down the spring bottom of the

page_text: box, and create contact, in connection with an electric bell, so that the bell will
ring momentarily, or continue to ring until the tablet is removed from the box.
I can also attach to the spring bottom of the box, already described, a button
which can be pressed by the hand, and act as an ordinary call bell.
:1 נ.ו n
10
1
1001
JOHN DAVIDSON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Memorandum Clock.
1, JOHN DAVIDSON, Watchmaker, of Wick, in the County of Caithness, North
Britain, 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:-
This invention relates to an automatic memorandum clock, which produces or
gives the following results :-
Supposing a person wishes to be reminded at any time during the twenty-four
hours, to fulfil a promise, to do a certain thing, or to keep any kind of engagement,
the nature of said engagement would be written on a slip or tablet of ivory, celluloid,
or other material, which is then placed in a slot in a circular drum, and from which
the said slip drops, at the proper time, into a box and rings a bell, thus calling the
attention of anyone within hearing of the bell.
In carrying out my said invention I employ a circular drum or barrel, which
may be made of any suitable metal or material, and having a number of slots or
holes which represent the hours, and the quarters or other parts of the hours; the
said drum or barrel revolves within a suitable stationary plate or casing which has
one slot or hole, immediately below and in the same circle as the drum's slots or
holes, so that on a slip or tablet being placed in the said drum's slot representing
the hour or part thereof desired, its end rests on the inside surface of the stationary
plate or casing until the drum, which may be mounted direct on to any ordinary
clock's hour wheel, spindle, or driven by same through the medium of a train of
wheels, is so caused to rotate and at the proper time allowed to drop down through
the slot in stationary plate or casing into a box, (below the said slot and in view
of anyone present) having a spring bottom which on being depressed by the weight
of the falling slip or tablet, and so frees the one end of a bent rod or wire connected
to the hammer head, arm or arbour in such a manner as to cause a bell to be rung
by means of the ordinary alarm work or other clockwork, until the bottom of said
box springs up again and so locks the said rod or wire.
The said revolving drum or barrel and stationary plate or casing may be
mounted on top or bottom of any clock, in which case the works or movement
would be placed horizontally in lieu of vertically if mounted direct to the hour
wheel and spindle, though by connecting the drum or barrel by a train of gearing
to the hour wheel and spindle, I may mount the said drum either on top, bottom,
sides or front an example of one method of which I will now proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which the same reference
figures denote the same parts.
Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a front view, Figure 2, Sheet 2, is a side view shown partly
in section, and Figure 3, Sheet 3, a part plan of my automatic memorandum clock,
as constructed with the revolving drum or barrel on top and connected to the
clock's centre wheel arbour by a train of gearing;
Figure 4, Sheet 3, shows the memorandum slip or tablet.
Referring to the said drawings I employ an ordinary clock A, (in this case an
alarm clock having its bell B, mounted underneath,) to the top of which I secure
a metal or other material plate or casing C, by means of bolts or rods inside
the said casing I mount the revolving drun or barrel D having slots d, arranged
around its centre, each of which denote the hours or parts thereof, the example
C',

page_text: shown denotes the hours and quarters, the references d', Figure 3, to which are
arranged around their outer ends as shown, that is by securing a printed slip
of paper or other material to top of said drum, though I may use any other
suitable means for same object, and if desired I may form the said drum D, with
a tablet receptacle E, so as to hold the said tablets when not in use, there
being also provided a removable cover C¹, for the said casing C, and immediately
under the opening or slot F of which I mount by screws or otherwise an open
metal or other material box G having a spring bottom g, and guide rail 9', the
said spring bottom locking or unlocking the outer extremity of the rod or wire H,
the inner end of which is connected to the hammer head, arm or arbour in such a
manner as to ring the bell B, when the spring bottom g, is depressed by the falling
tablet J, shown more particularly in Figure 4, Sheet 3.
In order to drive or rotate the said drum D relative to the rotation of the
clocks hands, through the medium of a train of gearing L, I provide a bevel or
mitre wheel K, Figures 2 and 3 on end of the movements centre wheel spindle k,
and into which another bevel or mitre wheel K' gears, the latter being secured to
the lower end of a vertical spindle l, having a spur or toothed pinion, into which
works a loose spur or toothed wheel 12, which again works into a loose pinion 13,
which gears into another loose wheel having a pinion 1³, attached, the latter of which
works into the drum's wheel 16, the whole of which may be supported by a
frame ; the said drum being connected to said wheel by any suitable means,
though preferably as shown at ., Figure 2, thus enabling the drum and hands to
be moved simultaneously whether by the clockwork, or by the hand adjusting
knob y.
The whole arrangement being such that supposing a person has to meet another
at 2 o'clock, he fills up a slip or tablet J, Figure 4, and then he places it in the
slot of the drum corresponding to 2, and on the hands of the clock coming round
to 2, the drum also comes with tablet right above the stationary slot F, and so
allows the tablet J to fall through into the box G and so ring the bell B, either
once or until the tablet has been removed from the box as desired by so arranging
the weight of the tablet and the power of the spring underneath the bottom of the
box G.
In some cases where the drum revolves in a horizontal plane and is mounted
direct on the hour wheel and spindle, I may dispense with the ordinary face or dial,
and provide a printed or other strip around the periphery of the drum, having the
hours and parts marked thereon, the time being indicated by means of a fixed pointer
on stationary plate or casing and which may be seen through a suitable opening in
said casing. And in cases where the drum revolves in a vertical plane that is if
mounted on either side of the clock or in front of the clock, I form the said drum
with slots or holes around its periphery as well as in its sides so as to enable the
slips or tablets to fall down through the stationary slot which is formed in stationary
casings side. And when the drum is mounted in front of the clock I may mount
it in front of the ordinary dial and around same and so form its centre of pierced or
fretwork so as to enable the dial being seen, and I may provide any suitable cover
or lid for said drum's stationary casing.
As a modification of my bell actuating arrangement, I may provide a hammer
arm or rod fixed with a pivot or joint and attached to the said spring bottom g, of
the box G, so that on the tablet depressing the spring bottom, the hammer head
would strike a bell. Or I can cause the weight of the tablet to push down the
spring bottom of the box and so create contact in connection with an electric bell,
or otherwise create contact when the tablet falls into the box in such a manner as
to ring either momentarily or continuously until the tablet is removed from
the box.
And in order to enable the said automatic memorandum clock or other clock to
be used as an ordinary call bell, I may connect a short handle or push button M,
which on being depressed by the finger or hand will cause the bell to be rung.

page_text: 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
1st. The general arrangement, and construction of the various parts constituting
my, memorandum apparatus, or any mere modification of said parts, in combination'
with a clock, all substantially in the manner as and for the purposes herein before
described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2nd. The general arrangement, construction, and combination with a clock of
apparatus whereby a clock's bell may be used as an ordinary call bell, all sub-
stantially as herein before described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 12th day of October 1891
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.