IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHODS OF AND IN MEANS FOR IMPELLING THE PENDULUMS OF HOROLOGICAL OR OTHER APPARATUS." IMPELLING THE PENDULUMS OF HOROLOGICAL OR OTHER APPARATUS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Dunseith McKellen, of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Watch Manufacturer and Jeweller, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHODS OF AND IN MEANS FOR
IMPELLING THE PENDULUMS OF HOROLOGICAL OR OTHER APPARATUS."
IMPELLING THE PENDULUMS OF HOROLOGICAL OR OTHER APPARATUS."
.
Scaled the 30th October 1874, and dated the 30th April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Dunseith
McKellen at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th April 1874.
:
I, SAMUEL DUNSEITH MCKELLEN, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Watch Manufacturer and Jeweller, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHODS OF AND IN
MEANS FOR IMPELLING THE PENDULUMS OF HOROLOGICAL OR OTHER APPARATUS,"
to be as follows:
:
My Invention has for its principal object to maintain the vibrating
movements of clock pendulums, but may also be applicable to be
employed in other apparatus wherein vibrating pendulums are employed.

page_text: '
I maintain the said movements by means of impelling weights which
act upon the pendulums at intervals, and between such intervals are
withdrawn or thrown out of action by electro-magnetic agency, or by
means of couterpoises or springs controlled by the said agency.
The means employed when carrying my said Invention into effect &
may be greatly varied, but I will describe an arrangement which I now
consider to be suitable. On a stud, coinciding as near as may be with
the centre of the arc of oscillation of the pendulum, I mount a lever, on
one arm of which is fixed or mounted a weight, which when free to act
causes a second arm to press against the pendulum. A withdrawing
lever mounted on a stud is also provided with a weight of sufficient
gravity to raise the weight on the first-named or impelling lever when
the end of the said withdrawing lever rests upon a third arm of the
said impelling lever. An armature is fixed or formed on the said with-
drawing lever, and a suitable clectro-magnet is employed in connection
with the said armature, the arrangement being such as that when the
electric circuit is completed the armature is attracted, whereby the
weight on the withdrawing lever is raised and the impelling lever is
permitted to act upon the pendulum.
The arrangements for effecting a completion of the electric circuit at
the required times may be varied. In the arrangement which I have
adopted a segment is mounted to swivel freely on a stud fixed to the
pendulum, and is trailed over a serrated block fixed to the free end of a
spring which is connected with one of the wires communicating with
the battery. A second spring communicating with the other wire is
arranged below the first-named spring. When the pendulum is in full
swing the said segment is trailed over the said block at each to-and-fro
'swing, but as the arc shortens a time arrives when the segment does not
clear the block at one of the swings of the pendulum, the consequence
being that on the next return stroke the segment presses down the one
spring against the other and the circuit is thereby completed, whereby a
fresh impulse is caused to be given to the pendulum by the means
herein-before described. The pendulum is connected with the hands or
indices of the clock, and imparts movement thereto by suitable arrange-
ments which can readily be devised by the practical clockmaker.
In striking clocks the pendulum may be employed to actuate a train
of gearing by means of which the striking mechanism is wound up.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said Samuel Dunseith McKellen in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 30th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Samuel
DUNSEITH MCKELLEN, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Watch Manufacturer and Jeweller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Samuel Dunseith McKellen, Her
special licence that I, the said Samuel Dunseith McKellen, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel
Dunseith M. Kellen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHODS OF AND IN MEANS FOR IMPELLING
THE PENDULUMS OF HOROLOGICAL OR OTHER APPARATUS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Dunseith McKellen, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Dunseith McKellen, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:
My Invention has for its principal object to maintain the vibrating
movements of clock pendulums, but may also be applicable to be
employed in other apparatus wherein vibrating pendulums are employed.
I maintain the said movements by means of impelling weights or

page_text: springs which act upon the pendulums at intervals, and between such
intervals are withdrawn or thrown out of action by electro-magnetic
agency, or by means of counterpoises or springs controlled by the said
agency.
The means employed when carrying my said Invention into effect
may be greatly varied, but I will now proceed to describe an arrange-
ment which I consider to be suitable..
And in order that my said Invention may be better understood I have
supplied a Sheet of Drawings to accompany this Specification, the said
Drawings being marked with letters of reference, corresponding marks
indicating the same parts in the two Figures.
Referring to the said Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a pendulum pro-
vided with impelling apparatus arranged in accordance with, my said
Invention. The said pendulum is represented as being suspended from
a bracket a in the usual manner, but the mode of suspension may be
varied as preferred or considered to be most suitable in each case.
On a
fixed stud b is suspended a lever c which is formed with three arms. A
weight d is fixed or formed on one arm of the said lever, and a stud or
projection e on a second arm thereof. A two-armed lever f is mounted
on a fixed stud at g, and one arm thereof is furnished with a weight h.
The outer end of the other arm of the last-named lever is formed to act
as an armature. An electro-magnet i of an ordinary or suitable con-
struction is fixed with its poles in opposition to the said armature, the
arrangement being such as that when the electric circuit is completed
the said armature is attracted and the weighted end of the lever fis
thereby raised. When not so raised the said weighted end is in contact
'with the third arm of the lever c and prevents the opposite weighted
arm of the lever from moving downwards, the said parts then being in
the positions as represented in Fig. 1 of the Drawings. The circuit
wires k, k, are connected with two springs and m which are arranged
to complete the circuit when brought into contact. A toothed block n
is fixed on the spring . A finger o is hung upon a pin fixed to the
pendulum rod.
:
The action of the apparatus may be described as follows:-
The parts
are so adjusted as that when the circuit is not complete, and therefore
.when the aforesaid armature is not attracted, the stud e shall just escape
contact with the rod of the pendulum. As the said pendulum swings

page_text: .
to and fro the finger o trails over the surface of the block n, the length
or position of which is so adjusted with relation to the said finger as
that when the pendulum is completing its swing in the direction
indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the end of the finger o shall clear the
end of the said block so as to be free to assume a vertical position, as
indicated by the dotted lines. This being the case, when the pendulum
is making its return swing, the said finger will trail back over the said
block without materially depressing the same. As the pendulum con-
tinues its movements the are described by the "bob" or weight p will
gradually shorten until a time arrives when the finger o is not permitted
to clear the end of the block in the manner herein-before indicated, the
result being that when the pendulum returns in the direction indicated
in Fig. 2 the end of the said finger engages with a notch in the said
block, and the block is depressed in the manner indicated in Fig. 2,
whereby the spring is moved into contact with the spring.m and the
circuit is completed. The aforesaid armature being then attracted by
the electro-magnet the. weight is raised and the lever c is thereby
liberated. The weight d now moving downwards causes the stud e to
move in contact witn the pendulum rod, as seen in Fig. 2. The said
stud remains in contact with and exerts a pressure against the pendulum
rod until the further movement of the lever c is arrested by the shorter
arm coming into contact with the end of the lever f, at or about which
time the finger o will have ceased to maintain the springs and m in
contact, and the circuit being broken the armature will be released and
the levers cand f will return to the positions represented in Fig. 1. It
will readily be understood that the pressure of the stud e upon the
pendulum rod will have given an impulse to the pendulum, and as
these impulses are given as often as may be required the movements of
the pendulum become continuous without any other impelling, force
than is herein described, so long as a sufficiently strong current of
electric fluid is available. The manner in which the movements of a
pendulum so actuated may be employed in connection with horological
apparatus will be readily understood by makers of such apparatus. As
an example I may mention that the pendulum may impart motion to
an "escapement" wheel, which imparts the proportional movements to
the hands or indices by means of suitably proportioned gearing.
In striking clocks the pendulum may be employed to actuate a
train of gearing, by means of which the striking mechanism may be
wound un

page_text: The arrangement illustrated in the Drawings may be greatly varied
without departing from the nature and intent of my Invention, as for
example, springs acting on the levers c and ƒ may be substituted for
the weights d and h.
The arrangement may also be varied by dispensing with the lever f
and by employing the electro-magnet to keep the lever c out of action,
in which case an arrangement for interrupting the current of electric
fluid, when a fresh impulse would be required, would have to be
adopted. This may be effected by placing the block n on the lower
spring, so that when pressed down the contact is broken.
Having now fully described and indicated the nature of my said In-
vention and means whereby the same may be carried into effect, I would
in conclusion have it to be understood that I claim,-
First. The employment of weights or springs controlled in action by
electric currents to impart impulses at intervals to pendulums, sub-
stantially as herein-before set forth and indicated.
And, Lastly. The arrangement substantially as and for the purpose
set forth and indicated herein-before, and in the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Dunseith McKellen, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Signed and sealed by the said
Samuel Dunseith McKellen,
in the presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentec,
3, Princess Street,
Albert Square,
S. D. MCKELLEN. (L.s.)
.
Manchester.