Improvements in or relating to Electric Alarm Clocks.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application. 23rd Apr., 1895-Accepted, 22nd June, 1895
Improvements in or relating to Electric Alarm Clocks.
A communication by HENRY WATSON KNAPP and LAWRENCE EDWIN GERRETY,
both of St. Paul, in the County of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, United
States of America, Manufacturers.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F:C.S., M.1.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, 118, New Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, and 31, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manuer the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in electric alarm attachments for time
pieces, its object being to provide a simple means for automatically giving a signal
at a predetermined future hour, which shall be simple in construction and easily
manipulated, and which shall also indicate to the eye the character of the call or
alarm.
To this end the invention consists in surrounding the dial of the time piece
with a metallic ring, in which are arranged any desired number of contact
fingers adapted to be thrust inward into position to be touched by the hour
hand of the time piece, the operating parts. of the time piece and the ring in which
the fingers, are arranged being connected respectively with the opposite poles of
an open, circuit battery. Means, are also provided for attaching tags or other
marking devices to the contact fingers which indicate the character of the call
or alarm.
.
The invention further consists in the construction and combination hereinafter
particularly described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification,
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a clock shown fitted with the improved attachment;
and.
Fig. 2 is a detail of one of the contact fingers and attached tag.
募
In the drawings, A represents the clock or other time piece of ordinary
construction, the works of which are connected by means of the wire 2 through
the call bell 3 to one pole of the battery 4: Surrounding the dial, of the clock,
but insulated therefrom, is a metallic ring 5 connected to the other pole of the
battery by the wire 6. Arranged in the ring 5 is a series of contact fingers 7
adapted to be thrust inward toward the clock face into position to be struck by the
contact wire-8, arranged upon the hour- hand. 9. My correspondents prefer to
provide these fingers with hooks 10, to which tags or other marking.devices 11 may
be attached when the fingers are set, so that when an alarm is sounded the assistant
by glancing at the time piece can instantly determine the character of the call. It
is evident that the alarm bell or signalling device may be placed at any point
desired for the giving of the signal, and that by means of proper switch mechanism
the apparatus may be connected to any one of a plurality of alarm bells so as to
serve for different persons in the same establishment or for day and night service.
This multiplying of signalling devices not being essential to the invention, only one
8. shown.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is:
1. The combination with the clock having its operating parts connected to
one pole of an open circuit battery, of the series of contacts surrounding said
clock and slidable toward and from the same and connected to the other pole
of the battery, and the hook or bend upon each of said contacts for holding a
marking tag.
2. In combination with an electric alarm clock in circuit with one pole of an
electric battery, of the annular ring surrounding said clock in circuit with the other
pole of said battery, and the series of contacts carried by and adjustable transverse
of said ring and having hooks for holding designating tags.
3. In an electric alarm clock of the class described, the combination with the
surrounding ring insulated from the time piece, of the contact making fingers
passing through said ring and having three or more points of bearing therein, and
the hook upon said fingers for holding tags or marking devices, substantially as
described.
4. In an electric alarm clock of the class described, the combination of the
surrounding ring or annulus of substantially inverted U shape in cross section, and
the contact making fingers sliding in apertures in said ring, substantially as shown
and described.
5. In an electric alarm clock of the class described, the combination with the
surrounding ring of substantially inverted U shape in cross section, of the contact
making fingers passing through said ring, and means for attaching á tag or marking
device to each of said fingers, substantially as described.
6. In an electric alarm clock of the class described the insulated conducting ring
surrounding the time piece, and the contact making fingers passing through guides
in the downwardly projecting sides of said ring and adjustable therein, substantially
as described.
7. In an electric alarm clock of the class described the time piece having
one of its pointers connected to one pole of an open circuit battery, the ring of
substantially inverted Ushape in cross section surrounding but insulated from
said time piece, and connected to the other pole of the battery, the contact fingers
sliding through said ring and adapted to be set to be struck by said pointer
in its rotation, and the means for attaching a tag or marking device to each. of
said fingers.
8. The combination with the clock having one of its hands connected to one pole
of an open circuit battery, of the series of sliding contacts connected to the other
pole of the battery, means for attaching a card or tag to each of said contacts,
and the tongue upon said haud adapted to engage one of said contacts when adjusted
inward and to hold the circuit closed a length of time proportionate to the length of
the tongue.
Dated this 22nd day of April 1895.