Ax IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REGULATING CHRONOMETERS, WATCHES, AND CLOCKS
Year: 1875

page_text: . LETTERS PATENT to Leander Eaton, of Worcester, in the County of
Worcester, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, for
the Invention of "Ax IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR
REGULATING CHRONOMETERS, WATCHES, AND CLOCKS."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Leander Eaton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 27th May 1875, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEANDER
EATON, of Worcester, in the County of Worcester, State of Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REGULATING CHRONOMETERS, WATCHES, AND
CLOCKS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am the first and
true Inventor thercof.

page_text: UW AAUW 1º, that 1, the said Leander Eaton, do nereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following state-
ment:-
-
The nature of my Invention consists in the construction and arrange-
ment of a device for regulating chronometers, watches, and clocks, as
will be herein-after more fully set forth.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of my In-
vention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same through the line
x³, x¹, Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are detailed views of the various parts thereof.
A represents the regulator frame which is provided with two arms
ff, one on either side of the cut ; these arms preserve the rigidity of
the frame while allowing the cut to open when being sprung upon the
bridge. One ends of the regulator frame is provided with the hair-
spring lock, which consists of a plate B provided with the jaw n, said
´plate being secured by a screw at either end; D is a bolt passed through
an opening & in the ond z of the regulator frame, and is held in position
by a projecting jaw e on the lever E; the bolt D is provided with a
rounded point upon one side, and it is made concave on the opposite side,
having a narrow bearing upon the extreme edges. When the hair spring
is in position it is held firmly between the jaw n of the plate B and the
narrow bearing of the bolt D. The rounded point of the bolt D bears
upon the projecting jawe of the lever E, and being freely movable
upon it it adjusts itself perfectly to the hair spring; the lever E is held
and operated by means of a lever c.
The index a of the regulator A is provided with a sight I which is
-placed upon the timetable G. A frame H is placed upon the timetablo.
G and is secured to it by screws which pass through either end and into 8
. the bridge B'. Upon the frame and over the sight I is placed a washer
K, on which is pivoted a lever L for fastening the index to the time-
table.
The adjustable hair spring holder consists of a sliding plate v provided
· with a jaw o̟, which plate is placed on the projecting part w of the 8
bridge and fastened to it by means of a washer d and lever ; through

page_text: the plate o is passed a movable jaw b held in position by a lever y.
The hair spring is held in position between the jaw g and the movable.
jaw b.
By the construction of the regulator frame A as described each move"
of the regulator will always be true to the movement indicated by the
index. The hair spring lock takes hold of the hair spring with the grip
of a viso while working, giving the hair apring always one permanent
and firm base of action. There is no trembling or changing of base of
action of the hair spring, thereby causing it to establish an exact -
proportional relation on the timetable between time and distance, thus -
measuring time mathematically when locked, and measuring time like :
any other watch that is irregularly when unlocked; the point of
accurate measurement of time can thus be always found on the time-
table. Another advantage of the lock is that the hair spring is held
firmly in place and is prevented from being thrown out of position, as
frequently occurs in the regulator now in use.
The index a can be locked, as described, to the bridge during the
locking or unlocking of the hair spring..
The adjustable hair spring holder is used as an auxiliary to the
regulator in obtaining the proper adjustment of the hair spring for
mathematical measurement of time, the advantage being in its ready™
and easy adaptation to any position, whether it be desired to change it
to the right or left, forward or back, to or from the centre; it takes
hold of the hair spring without bending or turning it, and always holds
it at right angles to the centre pinion of the balance wheel; it is also
a quicker and easier method of obtaining a perfect adjustment and
facilitates the labor of getting the watch in beat.
In the operation of regulating a watch with this device the hair-.
spring lock is first unlocked by means of the lever c; the index is then
unlocked by means of the lever L and then moved the required distance
and locked by the washer K and lever L, so as to be held firmly in placé
that it cannot slip during the subsequent locking of the hair spring.
"
In the ordinary regulator the hair spring is held firmly in the hair-
spring stud and vibrates freely between two pins attached to an
adjustable arm which is moved back and forth in a circle at will,
alternately striking each pin. When the spring is impinged upon either

page_text: pin the movement of the watch is faster than during the vibration of
the spring; it will thus be seen that a watch must alternately run faster
and slower than the correct time. Practice has shown that the regula-
tion of the movement of a watch by these means is simply guess
work, and requires several wecks of close observation to secure accurate &
time.
In my Invention the hair spring is attached at both ends (though
by different means yet upon the principle of an ordinary regulator).
Instead of two pins upon an arm I use a locking device which holds the
spring fast and gives a fixed base of action, rendering it possible to make 1
an accurate calculation, and in accordance therewith to adjust and regu-
late the movement; each watch or rather each hair spring requires a
separate calculation for regulating the same; for instance, if the indox is
placed at one end of the timetable and it is found that the watch gains
thirty seconds per hour, and it is then placed at the other end of the time-
table and it is found that the watch loses twenty seconds per hour, we
have a total difference between the two extremes of fifty seconds; it will
then be manifest that thirty-fiftieths of the timetable will represent the
fast time, and twenty-fiftieths will represent the slow time. Suppose the
timetable to be divided into twenty parts, twelve of these parts will
represent fast and eight slow time. Now move the index twelve parts
from the fast end of the timetable, lock the hair spring, and the regula-
tion of the movement is instant and correct.
It will be noticed that in the construction of my regulator I employ
no screw heads in fastening any of the movable parts to the regulator
frame, but I use screws with levers to hold the various parts, thereby
preventing all displacement or injury to the bridge.
Having thus fully described my Invention, what I claim as new and
desire to secure by Letters Patent is,—
1st. In a regulator for watches I claim a hair spring lock for holding
or locking the hair spring to give it a single permanent and firm base
of action for the purposes herein set forth.
2nd. In a watch regulator I claim the levers for fastening the movable
or adjustable parts thereof for the purposes herein set forth.
3rd. In a watch regulator I claim the combination of a lock with the
index of the regulator for the purposes herein set forth.

page_text: 4th. The regulator frame A, constructed as described, with the arms
ff, and cut h, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
5th. The hair spring lock consisting of the plate B with jaw n, bolt D,
lever E, with jaw e, and lever c, all constructed as described and
attached to the regulator frame A, substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
6th. The adjustable hair spring holder consisting of the plate with
jaw q, movable jaw b and levers 4, y, all constructed substantially as
and for the purposes herein set forth.
7th. The combination of the regulator frame, hair spring lock, ad-
justable hair spring holder, and sight I, all substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-five, at Worcester, Mass.
Witnesses,
CHESTER K. BABOOOK.
SIMEON B. MORSE.
LEANDER EATON.
(L.S.)